


Ruby Rose of Class 1-A

by baileek313



Series: RWBY in My Hero [1]
Category: RWBY, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Crossover, Gen, Protective Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Supportive Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), but somehow manages, ruby is bad at making friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22166965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baileek313/pseuds/baileek313
Summary: Since she was a child, Ruby Rose had always dreamed of being a hero. And after getting into U.A.'s famed hero course, she finally is on the path to achieving her dream. Making friends among her class, schoolwork and hero training should've been the only things she had to worry about. But the shadow hovering over U.A. seems to think otherwise.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Ruby Rose, Kirishima Eijirou & Ruby Rose, Ruby Rose & Team RWBY, Uraraka Ochako & Ruby Rose
Series: RWBY in My Hero [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595581
Comments: 56
Kudos: 137





	1. The Silver-Eyed Hero

**Author's Note:**

> This all started because of shenanigans that lead me to think "what if Ruby was in Class 1-A?"
> 
> And now here we are. I'm impulsive, and for once I'm glad that I am. So, let's get the ball rolling, shall we? I apologize in advance if this doesn't meet the hype that I've built up over the past few weeks.
> 
> Warning, this starts off with a fight sequence and ends with motion sickness.

Two days. That was all she had left. She only had two days left to train and prepare for the single most important test in her life. And she didn’t care what her dad said. To Ruby Rose, the U.A. entrance exam was going to decide her fate for the next three years. Anyone who said otherwise, she had just tuned them out.

U.A. High School was one of the top hero schools in the country. It was where her parents went. It was where her sister went. It had to be the one that Ruby got into. She had to work hard as she could to get there, too. Which is exactly why she had been out that very night, taking a short jog in the winter air to clear her mind of the nerves that were twisting in her stomach as the day of the U.A. entrance exam grew closer and closer.

The night air did something to put her at ease, but it also left her fingertips numb. As soon as she could, Ruby ducked into a nearby store that was still open, hoping to warm up before making her way home. And maybe pick up something to help her out with that. Hot chocolate maybe? Did they even sell that? ...Did she have enough money for it?

Ruby adjusted her headphones as she wandered through the aisles, making her way to the back of the store in her search. She turned the volume down a bit, resting the headphones just enough that she could hear her surroundings. She pulled her hood up further to accommodate the new position. If she wanted to be a hero, she had to be aware of what was going on around her at all times, right? Right.

“Do you know how hard it is to find a shop open this late in this part of the city?” Ruby heard on the edge of her senses. She raised a brow, peering out from behind her hiding spot among the aisles. A group of men stood at the register, one of them aiming a gun at the elderly store owner. She froze in place.

“Please!” said the owner, his arms raised above his head. “Just take my money and leave.”

“Calm down, there’s no need to panic,” said one of the men at the front, with Ruby only making out a cane in his hand as any sort of distinct feature. “We’ll take what we want and leave peacefully. Understood?” The store owner nodded. Ruby ducked back behind the shelves as he turned to the rest of his crew. “Grab the stock from the shelves.”

Ruby pressed her back against the shelf that served as her cover. The rest of the men fanned out throughout the store. She had to do something. A hero just didn’t sit around while waiting for help. Maybe she could dash out of here and call the police if she moved right… There were footsteps behind her as she pushed off the shelf.

“Alright kid, hands where I can see them,” she heard a voice behind her say. Ruby bit down harshly on her lip, hoping that he thought he was seeing things. This was not the girl you’re looking for… She then felt the tip of a blade rest itself against her back. “You have a death wish or something?!”

Well, no chance at being stealthy here. Or running away. She didn’t know what kind of Quirk this guy had. Or any of these robbers had, actually. For all she knew, it would put them at an advantage to her. Swallowing her fear, Ruby turned around, slowly lowering her hood and revealing the headphones she wore. The man pulled away the knife, and Ruby held back her relief. He thought she just didn’t hear him. He motioned for her to take the headphones off.

“Yes…?” Ruby asked, doing her best to play the innocent victim as she slowly took off her headphones, letting them rest on her neck.

“I said put your hands in the air!” said the man, jabbing the knife he held in the air between them. “Now!”

“Um… are you…” Ruby glanced down at the weapon before looking back up at him, “trying to rob me?”

“Yes!”

“Okay…” Well, it was now or never. Ruby activated her Quirk, disappearing from the man’s line of sight in a burst of rose petals.

“Hey!” the man said, mostly out of surprise. Ruby appeared behind him, grabbing him by the arm before giving it all the strength she had. She spun, using the momentum from it to throw the would-be robber towards another member of the crew. One who had a gun. And had caught sight of Ruby before she could disappear. She held up her hands, trying to feign defenselessness.

“Freeze,” his friend shouted, raising his gun in her direction. ...well, it wasn't against the law to fight back if she was being threatened, right? Ruby didn’t think a lot about this as the man fired his weapon. All the bullet hit was a flurry of rose petals. The girl sped forward, slamming her body into the man. The force of it sent both flying through the store’s front window. Ruby rolled across the street, grateful that there was no one else out that night. She stood, brushing glass off of her clothes and glancing back at the shop’s window.

 _Whoops._ Through the broken window, a few more men were staring at her. In front of them all was someone that Ruby suspected to be their ringleader. He had bright orange hair with long bangs that covered up one of his green eyes. And that gaze bore into her with the smallest ounce of irritation. Ruby just smiled back at him.

“Okay…” said the man, annoyance painted clear as day upon his face. He turned to the goons beside him. “Uh… get her?”

The rest of the goons ran out of the shop and at Ruby. Normally, a civilian such as herself wouldn’t be allowed to use their powers to harm others. ...but did that still apply when her opponent was threatening to harm her? Ruby still didn’t think about it much. She let her instincts take over, spinning around. Her foot met the face of the closest criminal.

Ruby leapt up off the ground with incredible speed, swinging her leg around to strike another opponent with her heel. There was enough force behind the blow to send him flying far enough away from her. Ruby flipped over another, pushing off of his shoulders to bring her leg down on a third. 

Something whizzed by her ear. One of the men was shooting at her. Ruby, in a burst of speed, rushed towards him faster than he could process. It let her get in close enough to strike. She knocked him up into the air, leaping up and landing another blow that sent him slamming into the ground. He landed at the ringleader’s feet, with Ruby not that far away.

“You were worth every cent… Truly, you were,” he said, kicking away the man at his feet. He looked up at Ruby. She could hear the sound of police sirens. “Well, Little Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around…” he smirked, “...I'm afraid this is where we part ways.”

Before Ruby could even think about what that possibly meant, the man withdrew something from his pocket. He smashed it against the ground. A cloud of smoke exploded between them, burning Ruby’s eyes and getting into her lungs. She rushed out of the cloud, coughing and rubbing at her stinging eyes. As soon as it dissipated and she could see again, the man was gone.

Ruby spun on her heel, looking around. She caught sight of a white coat ducking into an alley. She bit down on her lip. She had a choice to make. And the police sounded like they were still too far. He was going to get away at this point.

“Hey!” Ruby called to the shopkeeper, rushing back towards the broken window. “Are you okay if I go after him?” The owner only nodded. That was all Ruby needed before she ran off in the direction she saw the thief go in.

She had to admit. The crook made it pretty far down the alley, but Ruby’s speed put her at an advantage. Her Quirk allowed her to catch up to the criminal in no time. It was lucky for her, too. She had caught him just as he was about to get into an open van parked at the alley’s exit.

“Hey!” Ruby shouted, getting the thief to stop. She wasn’t about to let him get away so easily. He glared at her, already halfway into the van.

“Persistent…” the man said through his teeth. He dug into his pocket again, pulling out a small marble-like ball similar to the smoke bomb he threw earlier. “End of the line, Little Red!”

Ruby dug her heel into the ground, trying to recall everything that she had been taught about combat. The man threw the ball a few feet away from where Ruby stood. As it hit the ground, there was a loud bang. Ruby shut her eyes, throwing up her arms to protect herself from the explosion the best she could. She could hear the man’s laughter.

But she didn’t feel any pain. Ruby slowly lowered her arms. She opened her eyes.

Two people had jumped in front of her — a woman in a purple cape and a man in green with a cane, who was casting a protective barrier over them. Ruby watched, wide-eyed as the woman twirled the riding crop she had in hand. A bright purple glow enveloped the vehicle, keeping it in place as it tried to drive off. The man who had taken refuge inside was thrown back towards the driver as the man in green erected a glowing green wall to keep it from moving forward. The purple glow faded from it.

“We got Heroes!” Ruby heard the criminal she had been chasing call out. He dove into the driver’s seat, exchanging places with someone else. In the dark of the alley, Ruby couldn’t make out a face. All she could see was the silhouette of a woman and the woman’s dark red dress. WIth the way she moved, it sounded like her shoes were made of glass.

The man in green held out an arm, keeping Ruby from going any further. The female hero’s weapon glowed a bright purple, lighting up the dark alley for a brief moment. Several glass shards that were scattered throughout the alley lit up in the same color, swirling in front of her crop until they were sent towards the van.

The criminal's companion didn’t seem worried. She let the glass shards come at her, not even bothering to block them. She didn’t have to. Not a single one of them hit her. The woman’s arms and chest lit up like fire. The glass shards around her were enveloped in the same glow. They took place in front of her, melting and forming one large, flaming glass arrow. The potential villain sent it right back towards the heroes.

The man in green blocked it, the arrow shattering against his cane. However, the flames of the arrow splattered around their feet. They started to glow brighter, getting steadily hotter and hotter by the enemy’s raised hand. 

“Get down!” The heroes acted quickly, with the man throwing up a bubble around themselves and the girl, with the heroine throwing them backwards with her own telekinetic power as the glass shards exploded. Ruby was thrown back against the bubble and hit the ground hard. With the bubble protecting them, the barrier keeping the van from leaving could no longer stay. The doors to the van closed, and the two criminals inside of it drove away.

Ruby groaned as the bubble around her fell. _Okay…_ she thought to herself as she sat up, rubbing at a spot on the back of her head that probably would soon sport a bruise. _That could’ve gone a lot better._

The heroine who had come to her rescue held out her hand. Ruby took it, letting her be pulled back onto her feet. Now that things were calm, she could finally see one half of the duo who had come to her aid.

“You…” said Ruby, her eyes going wide as she stared at the woman. Blonde hair, acidic green eyes… and that Quirk she used. Ruby grinned. “You’re Madame North, right? Can I have your autograph?!”

* * *

Ruby swung her legs under the table. Instead of being praised for her heroic actions like she had thought, the heroes had dragged her down to the police station. Madame North made it seem as though Ruby had done something wrong with that look she had on her face. She had even taken her to an interrogation room, sitting the girl down at the table while she herself paced in front of her, a tablet in hand.

Ruby had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.

“Young lady, your actions tonight will not be taken lightly,” said North, making Ruby wince with the stern tone that the hero had taken up. “You put yourself and others in great danger.”

“They attacked me first!” said Ruby, trying to defend her actions, “It was just self-defense!”

“Going after them is self-defense?” Ruby opened her mouth to reply, only to shut it again. She couldn’t think of anything to justify following the crook that wouldn’t get her into even more trouble than she probably was already in. She slumped against her chair, and the heroine sighed. “While I commend you for being able to defend yourself, if you engaged against those criminals, it would’ve made you no better than a vigilante.”

“A… A vigilante?” She had heard the term once in passing, but never understood what it actually meant.

“An unlicensed hero. And highly illegal.” Ruby bit back a groan, sinking even further down in her seat. Oh no, she really was in trouble, wasn’t she?

Before Ruby could be berated anymore, the door to the room swung open. The man in green from before entered, his cane now collapsed and resting on his hip. Ruby sat up, staring at him as he closed the door. In the light, she could finally make out his face. Silver hair, warm brown eyes hidden behind a small pair of dark glasses. She could easily recognize this hero now.

“Glynda, have you finished getting the girl’s…?” The man stopped as soon as he caught sight of the girl sitting in front of a still ticked off North. “Summer?” Madame North raised a brow, glancing over at Ruby. She met the man’s gaze at the name she had been called.

“S-Sorry, but you might be thinking of my mom,” said Ruby, shaking her head. “Summer Rose? She was the Silver-Eyed Hero—” The man held up his hand, cutting her off.

“My apologies, you two look… incredibly similar.” Yeah… Ruby got that a lot from heroes who knew her mother. It didn’t help that they had the same dark hair that faded into red, or the same defining silver eyes. The man cleared his throat, taking the tablet from Madame North and showing Ruby the screen. It was playing a video of the fight outside of the store, as seen from the perspective of a nearby security camera. Ruby swallowed something in her throat, shoving her hands in between her knees and staring down at her lap. Oh no. 

“Tell me. Where did you learn to do this? I’m assuming you weren’t taught this at school,” said the man, placing the tablet down on the table for Ruby to see better. She remained silent as he sat in the seat opposite of her. Middle schools were only allowed to teach their students how to control their Quirks, not how to use them in combat. That was the job of high schools’ hero courses. And for the time being, Ruby was still a student at Shigunaru Middle School. “Miss Rose, you’re not in trouble. It’s just that… I’ve only seen one other hero move like this. A dusty, old crow…”

_A dusty old…?_

“That’s my uncle!” Ruby said, looking up at the heroes at the mention of such a person. They stared at her, with the man having a slight smirk on his face. Ruby cleared her throat. “S-Sorry… but uh, you’re talking about Harbinger, right? He’s my uncle.” The man nodded. “He’s been helping me prepare for the high schools’ entrance exams since I started middle school. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now I can…” Ruby glanced down at the tablet. It was still playing the video. “I can do that.”

“So I’ve noticed.” The man leaned forward. “And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing training her Quirk for combat?”

“Well…” Ruby fidgeted with the hem of her jacket before glancing up at the man in front of her. “I want to be a Pro Hero.”

“You want to fight villains?” Ruby nodded.

“Yeah! I’ve already applied to U.A.!” she said, and the floodgates were opened. “You see, my sister’s a third year there and she’s trying to become a hero, and I’m trying to be a hero because I want to help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought I might as well make a career out of it. I mean, the police are alright, but Heroes are just so much cooler and romantic and just…” Ruby let out a high-pitched squeal, “you know?!” 

There was a crazy wide smile on her face as she finished. The two in front of her simply stared at the girl. North’s expression was neutral, but the man seemed slightly amused. Ruby hadn’t said something wrong, had she?

“Do you know who I am?” asked the man, breaking the silence after what felt like forever.

“You’re Ozpin,” said Ruby, much calmer this time. “You’re one of the teachers at U.A.” He smiled at her.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You want to go to U.A.?”

“More than anything.” Ozpin exchanged a glance with the woman standing beside him. Madame North let out a huff, and Ozpin stood.

“I think we’re done here.” Ruby raised a brow. Wait, what? “You’re free to go, Miss Rose.”

“I-I am?” Ozpin nodded as Ruby slowly stood. “You mean I’m not in trouble?” North sighed.

“Fortunately, you didn’t engage directly with the villains,” she said, collecting the tablet from the table and finally turning it off. “Only with those who sought to do you harm. As you stated, it is a case of justifiable self-defense.”

“I’ll see you at the entrance exams in two days, Miss Rose,” said Ozpin, his hands behind his back as he turned and left the room, Madame North following not too far behind him. Ruby smiled.

* * *

The train was abuzz with chatter. All chatter that Ruby was desperately trying to block out. Her stomach was churning like a stormy sea. She wasn’t sure if it was lucky or unlucky that she didn’t have to take this ride alone. Two people that she had trusted most had volunteered to come with her to the U.A. entrance exam. And right now, they were trying their best to get Ruby’s mind off of her nerves.

Well, one of them was. The other was groaning from the motion of the train.

“I can’t believe that my baby sister is going to be going to U.A. with me!” said Ruby’s older sister, a busty blonde named Yang Xiao Long. She had a wide grin permanently stuck to her face since they left the house that morning. “This is the best day ever!”

“I have to pass the entrance exam first,” Ruby sighed. Two days had gone by quicker than she expected. Yang reached over the blonde boy sitting between them to ruffle Ruby’s hair in an attempt to get her to perk up.

“But I’m so proud of you!”

“Yang!” the boy, Jaune Arc exclaimed, being pushed back by Yang’s arm. Yang fell back against her seat, casting a look at their childhood friend. It would’ve been just Yang coming with Ruby if Jaune hadn’t surprised them at the station. He had been neighbors with them for years. Ruby knew him just about as well as she knew Yang. His presence was just as comforting as hers was, even if he was having trouble of his own. Yang sighed, leaning forward to talk around him.

“And after everything that happened with the robbery, all of U.A. is going to think you’re the bee’s knees!” she said. That only made Ruby’s knots grow even tighter.

“I don’t want to be the ‘bee’s knees’! I don’t want to be any kind of knees!” said Ruby, her voice raising a little as she clapped her hands over her kneecaps. “I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees.” Yang and Jaune exchanged a look with each other.

“What's with you? Aren't you excited?”

“Of course I'm excited... I just…” Ruby let out a sigh, sinking a bit low in her seat. "I don't want people to think I'm special or anything.” Yang reached over, pushing Jaune back again so she could place a hand on Ruby’s shoulder.

“But you are.”

“Yang!” Jaune exclaimed, pushing Yang’s arm off of him this time. His face was looking a little bit green. Yang let out a huff as she flopped back against her seat. Ruby put a hand on Jaune’s back.

“Jaune, are you okay?” she asked. Jaune shook his head, doubling over. The grip on the plastic bag he had in hand grew tighter.

“I hate taking the train…” he groaned.

“Sorry that I don’t have a car,” said Yang, crossing her arms over her chest. She leaned forward to meet Jaune’s gaze. “Or do you want to ride my motorcycle with me?” Jaune immediately shook his head as Yang sat back up. “Then shoosh.” Ruby let out a small laugh before it turned into a sigh. Special, huh?

“My Quirk isn’t anything special,” she said, starting to pick at the vinyl that made up the train’s seat. “I can just run really fast. And make rose petals.”

“It’s useful, Ruby.” Ruby glanced over at Jaune as he straightened himself out a little. “It’s special because you know how to use it. That’s what makes a hero: how they use their Quirk to save lives.” She gave him a small smile.

“Thanks, Jaune.” The volume of one of the TV screens’ in the train’s car grew louder, drawing Ruby’s attention to it. It was playing a news report, and by the looks of things, it wasn’t going to be anything good.

“ _The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, whose Quirk still remains unknown as he continues to evade authorities_ ,” said the newscaster. Ruby’s face went pale as they put up a photo of the criminal in question. It was the same man she had encountered two days before. They were talking about _that_ incident. “ _If you have any information on his whereabouts or powers, please contact the police immediately._ ” Ruby groaned as the report continued in the background.

“At least they didn’t mention you?” said Jaune. Ruby only slumped back against her seat. 

“Better than the sludge villain incident that happened last spring,” Yang said. “That kid’s face was all over the news for a while. Man, I can’t imagine being branded as the sludge villain kid for the rest of my life.

“Please don’t mention sludge…” Ruby sighed, turning and looking out the window. Her bad mood started to slip away as something finally came into view. She scrambled, sitting up on her knees.

“Check it out!” said Ruby, leaning up against the glass. Yang and Jaune followed her gaze. “You can see U.A. from here!” The sight was amazing. Seeing it in person was way different than seeing it in pictures or on TV. It was just so… Jaune tore himself away from the window, doubling over as he loudly retched in the plastic bag he had brought onto the train.

“Eh,” said Yang with a shrug, “the view isn’t for everyone.”

“It was nice while it lasted…” added Ruby, rubbing her hand on Jaune’s back. It was a miracle that Jaune had been able to take the train to school since he and Yang were in middle school while rarely falling victim to his motion sickness like he had done just now. Though, according to Yang, it had only happened on the train and nowhere else.

“Sorry…” Jaune groaned before retching into the bag once more. Ruby noticed something on the ground that shouldn’t have been there.

“Oh gross, Yang! You have puke on your shoe!” Yang let out a shriek.

“Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!” she repeated, scrambling back away from Jaune. Some it flicked off in Ruby’s direction.

“Get-Get away! Get away from me! Get away from me!” If there was one thing that Ruby did not need today, it was puke on her shoes during the test. “Get away from me! Get away from me!”

“I said I was sorry!” Jaune groaned before retching into his bag once more. Well… things couldn’t get any worse than this, could they? Ruby kept her fingers crossed as she pulled her feet up onto the seat, glancing out the window at U.A. once more. Everything was going to turn out fine.


	2. At the Starting Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the U.A. entrance exam and Ruby couldn't be more nervous. But hey, if she could survive an encounter with a criminal, then this should be a piece of cake. ...Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains violence against machines, and that's about it. And cameos. And a bit of foreshadowing on my part, but it's small and easy to miss. And is not a grammatical error, I promise.
> 
> Bonus points for those who can spot 'em!
> 
> I also took the exam explanation's dialogue from the manga rather than the anime. I'm sorry, but I just really like the references Mic makes.

This was it! This was the starting line for Ruby’s future. The U.A. entrance exam was today, and Ruby...

Well, Ruby felt sick to her stomach. She was alone here. Yang and Jaune were waiting at the school’s entrance, having come along solely for the reason of providing Ruby with moral support. But the second she stepped beyond those gates, she was alone.

But Ruby had prepared herself for this day since she started middle school. She had trained long and hard for the practical exam, practicing combat every day after school with her sister, dad and uncle. And lucky for her, she had Weiss and Blake — two of Yang’s friends, and by extension her own — help her study for the written part of the exam. As nervous as she was, Ruby felt like she was as ready as she would ever be.

She marched into the exam hall, ready for the first part of the exam: the written test. Which, in all honesty, she felt the least prepared for. The fight she took part in a few days before had done well to boost her confidence when it came to combat. If she could take down crooks, then she could handle whatever the practical had to throw at her. However, academics wasn't one of her strongest points, hence the countless hours of studying she had to do for this day.

Ruby, along with the rest of the examinees, were ushered into a large lecture hall. An uncomfortable silence fell as each took their seats and as each were given a copy of the written test. Ruby did the best she could on the test, biting into the end of her pencil as she tried to recall what Blake and Weiss had taught her. It would be a miracle if she passed this part of the exam.

Ruby had answered the last question when they called for the tests to be collected. Just in the nick of time. Ruby let out a little sigh as she passed up her test. That was one part down. It wasn’t as bad as she thought. At least now it was done and over with.

The lights in the hall dimmed, shrouding the students in darkness. A spotlight lit up the stage in the middle of the room as a large screen descended down from the ceiling. A tall man took to the center of i. He had long, spiked up blonde hair and a pair of sunglasses that covered his eyes. He was also dressed head to toe in leather, with a large speaker around his neck. Ruby recognized him easily. The voice hero and someone who took to the public eye very well: Present Mic.

“Welcome to today’s live performance!” said the hero as a screen descended down behind him. “Everybody say ‘hey’!” Everyone was silent. “Well, that’s cool, my examinee listeners! I’m here to present the guidelines of your practical! Are you ready?!” All he got was even more silence.

“This is how the test will go, my listeners!” Present Mic continued after a good moment where no one responded. The screen behind him turned on, displaying for the examinees a map of their testing areas. “You’ll be experiencing ten-minute-long ‘mock city maneuvers’! Bring along whatever you want! After this presentation, you’ll each head to your assigned testing location! Okay?!” There was only more silence. Ruby looked down at her card, searching for her location on it. Even if she couldn’t find it now, she would have plenty of time later, right? Right ... hopefully.

“Each site is filled with three kinds of faux villains. Points are awarded for defeating each according to their respective difficulty levels!” said Present Mic, the screen behind him now displaying the silhouettes to represent the villains the kids would be facing. “Use your Quirks to disable these faux villains… and earn points! That’s your goal, listeners! Of course, playing the antihero and attacking other examinees is prohibited!”

Before the presentation could continue, a member of the audience stood, raising his arm high in the air. From her place in the hall, Ruby couldn’t quite make out his face.

"May I ask a question?!" asked the student, lowering his hand. "There appear to be no fewer than four varieties of faux villain on this handout! Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for U.A., Japan’s top academy! We’re all here today in the hopes of being molded into model heroes." He turned to a boy sitting behind him. "And you, with the curly hair! You’ve been muttering this whole time. It’s distracting! If this is some sort of game to you, then please leave immediately!"

Ruby caught sight of someone sinking down into their seat.

“Alright, alright. Examinee 7111, nice catch. Thanks!” said Present Mic. “But the fourth faux villain variety gets you zero points! He’s more of an obstacle! Have you all played Super Mario Brothers?!” The screen behind him changed to the large silhouette of a bot that was at least triple the size of the others. “It’s kind of like a thwomp! Only one at each site! A ‘gimmick’ that’ll rampage around in close quarters!” The young man nodded.

“Thank you, sir,” he said. “I apologize for the interruption!” The boy sat back down again. Ruby leaned against the desk in front of her.

_ So the whole thing is like a video game… _ That would make things a whole lot easier.

“That’s all from me!” said Present Mic, rounding off the rundown of the practical and bringing Ruby back to attention.. “I’ll leave my listeners with our school motto! The great hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said, ‘true heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life’. Plus Ultra! Break a leg, everyone!”

And with that, the examinees in the hall were dismissed. Ruby swallowed something down in her throat. It was time for the practical exam. She drew a deep breath as she made her way towards where the teachers had directed her testing zone to be. If she could take on a criminal and make it out unhurt… then this should be a cakewalk… right?

* * *

The hero course examinees were led far away from the main school building and to one of the many training grounds that U.A. had set up around its campus. Though a thick wall surrounded the place and a metal gate barred them from entering, Ruby could just make out the fake cityscape that waited for her behind both. This was where it was all going to go down, huh? This place was so big… 

She shook her head. No. She couldn’t get nervous now. Ruby had prepared for this day since she started middle school. She was ready. She had trained. All she had to do was remember what Uncle Qrow had told her… wait. Ruby mostly remembered Uncle Qrow complaining about the practical the entire time they trained together. Something about the test being impractical for those who had to take it.

Ruby shook her head again. She would just remember what he and Yang taught her, not what they said. Lost in her thoughts, Ruby didn’t even notice the gate open until the speaker system that had been set up around the training ground crackled to life.

“ _ And begin! _ ” cried out Present Mic’s voice over the loudspeaker, making Ruby flinch at the volume. There was a moment where everyone stood still. The gates to the exam ground opened. “ _ What’s wrong? The tests started! Run! Run! Run! The die is cast! _ ”

And just like that, the test had begun. Everyone rushed off into the fray.

The red-suited examinee activated her Quirk the second she could, using it for a little boost in speed to get ahead of the others. It didn’t take Ruby long to meet with her opponents. The robotic faux villains came out of the darkened alleys and streets of the city, charging right towards teh first person they could find — her. Ruby smirked. Three of the roots charged forward. And all they got their hands on was a cloud of rose petals as Ruby leapt up into the air. 

Ruby swirled in the air above them. She smirked before rushing downwards, her heel slamming into the head of a robotic opponent and smashing it to bits. She pushed off the metal corpse, landing on solid ground once more. There were already small pinpricks of sweat beading on her forehead. 

“ _ Six minutes remaining! _ ” called out Present Mic from the loudspeakers. Ruby sighed. Had it only been four minutes?

More robots surrounded Ruby. She sprung up, leaping over the first bot before striking it in the back. Still in the air, Ruby struck another one in the side with her heel. That gave her the push she needed to hit a third dead in it’s center. Ruby pushed off of it as it crumpled, rolling across the road.

Ruby smirked as she stood. This was kind of easier than she thought it would be. And it was like Present Mic said: the whole thing seemed like a simulation in a video game. Or even a fight sequence in an anime. She got this.

One of the robots went forward. Ruby merely spun, hooking the smallest portion of its torso with her foot. She smiled as she activated her Quirk, spinning the bot around until the momentum she had built up was strong enough. She kicked it into a building with a large crash, wincing a bit at the damage she had caused. Whoops. Hopefully they didn’t take off points for that.

Ruby spun on her heel as more robots decided to make her their target. She darted in-between each opponent as they tried to swipe at her. She bounced off each, pushing them into the ground and into each other. One of the robots narrowly missed her feet. Ruby jumped off of it, and used her speed to push herself back. She slid across the asphalt as her fellow examinees finally caught up to her. 

She popped back up as a robot came into view out of the corner of her eye. Ruby, now running high from the adrenaline that was pumping through her system, rushed towards it. In a blur of rose petals, she landed a hit on her opponent.

“Gotcha!” Ruby muttered under her breath with a smirk. That was another point for her. And there was also a shout. Ruby felt a fist nearly miss her as she stumbled to land properly. As a result of her mess up, Ruby was barely able to defend herself when a bot swung at her, knocking her into the examinee that almost hit her. Both were sent tumbling to the ground. She was immediately pushed off.

“Sorry!” Ruby said quickly before she launched herself forward. She landed a swift blow to the bot with the bottom of her foot that was strong enough to put it out of commission. She flipped back over to the tall boy’s side. He had startling purple hair and looked extremely tired.

“Are you okay?” Ruby asked, holding out her hand to him.

“I’m fine,” said the boy before batting her hand away. He stood up on his own, brushing dust off of his clothes, “I don’t need your help.” And that was the last thing he said to her before running off to another side of the testing field and away from her. Ruby pouted.

_ He didn’t have to be so rude about it. _

She heard a clattering behind her. Ruby twisted around, narrowly dodging a robot’s clawed hand. She reacted quickly, kicking the enemy in front of her with a small amount of speed behind it. Ruby shot backwards, spinning in the air and striking another enemy that had tried the same sneak attack tactic. 

Ruby spun on her heel as soon as she landed on the ground, her heel cutting through two more bots. She leapt out of the way of a third, dodging its attack. She jumped up before bringing her leg down on what would be its head. She felt sweat start to ead against her forehead. Looked like the game’s difficulty just got turned up.

Ruby leapt over the two bots, going to smash them. She bounced off of her opponents with ease before catching another one with her ankle. Digging her toe into it’s metallic surface, Ruby pushes off. She flipped, pushing the bot down in a flurry of speed that smashed it against the ground. Two more enemies found her afterwards. Ruby dashed towards them, landing on top of one before pushing it into the bot into the road. She flipped off of that, smashing her heels into the head of another.

Ruby jumped off of that last one as it collapsed, landing in a clean patch of the road. She looked around. There were still a large number of enemies left for her to take care of. She should probably try for ones worth higher points rather than the one-pointers she had been attacking up until now.

_ Boom _ . 

Ruby whipped around at the sound of the explosion. The color drained from her face when she saw what had caused it. Now she knew why Present Mic had warned them about the fourth faux villain, and why his only advice was to avoid it. The thing was just as big as the cityscape that the exam was taking place in.

The students around her began to run from it. She was about to do the same when the ground beneath her gave a sudden lurch. Ruby stumbled, losing her balance and skidding across the ground. The debris that had surrounded the street came down near her. While she didn’t feel any sort of pain, she couldn't get up. The debris that had fallen closest to her and pinned her hoodie down in place. Ruby tried to twist around to push it off, but she couldn't get far enough. She was stuck.

The bot approached, getting closer and closer to the girl. Ruby shut her eyes tight, furiously beginning to tug at her hoodie, trying to pry it away. If she could get herself free, she could just dash away with her Quirk to safety and— The weight was lifted. Well, more like thrown away.

When Ruby opened her eyes. A girl had come to the rescue, her long orange hair tied into a side ponytail on her head. She didn’t give Ruby the option of accepting her help. She immediately pulled the smaller back onto her feet.

“Are you okay?” the girl asked. Ruby stared at her savior before quickly nodding.

“Oh, yeah!” she replied. “Thanks!” Just because she was safe now didn’t mean it was going to stay that way. The robot was still gearing towards them. Ruby didn’t think twice about her next course of action. She grabbed the girl beside her and activated her Quirk.

Ruby felt the girl get a good and tight hold on her arm as they raced away from the robot. In hindsight, she should’ve warned her ahead of time. She didn’t stop until they were back near the entrance and safe. Ruby felt the girl let go, in favor of clapping her hand on her back.

“Maybe I should be thanking you,” she said. Ruby flashed her a smile. She really didn’t need it. It was just the right thing to do. She opened her mouth to say just that, when the loudspeakers crackled to life.

“ _ Two minutes remaining! _ ” called the voice hero over the speaker, and cutting Ruby off. Ruby sighed as the redheaded girl pulled away.

“Good luck!” said the girl before she ran off to finish her own practical exam. Ruby glanced back at the giant robot. Her speed had put a large enough distance between them and it that she hopefully didn’t have to worry about dealing with it. And it wasn’t like she had any chance of beating it. Not yet, at least.

Ruby dug her heel into the ground before putting herself into high gear. There were still plenty of opponents for her to take down. She had this in the bag. With a grin, she rocketed off at the highest speed she could manage.

Ruby ricocheted off the walls of buildings and the asphalt beneath her. The girl was nothing but a flurry of rose petals and she smashed any robot that she could hit with her feet. She spun her way through the metallic carnage, careful not to get hit by any falling debris. To anyone watching, they wouldn’t have been able to see Ruby. All they caught were rose petals and flying robot parts flying in the air. Adrenaline pumped itself though Ruby’s body, moving her faster and faster until she misstepped.

She let out a yelp as she tripped in the road, flying and landing heavily on her back. She groaned, slowly pushing herself up on her hand. Okay…  _ ow _ , that hurt… Ruby looked out at the mess she had created. Now that deserved a ‘wow’. Robotic parts and empty shells littered the road. Had she done all that? And if she had… was it going to be enough?

“ _ IT’S ALL OVER! _ ” And she didn’t have time to rectify that if it wasn’t. Ruby was panting heavily now before she dropped to her knees. The test was over, and she was surrounded by debris. She wiped the sweat cooling on her forehead off of it. She sneezed.

It was colder outside than she thought. 

* * *

The next week was absolute hell for Ruby Rose. Like the rest of the examinees, she had left the entrance exams without any idea as to what her score was. She wasn’t sure if she had enough points to pass either the practical or the written exam. She had done her best on both. But waiting for the test results was killing her! She spent almost every waking moment she could waiting by the family’s front window just to be the one to get the mail first. And every day, she was left disappointed when there was no letter from U.A. for her.

Today was no different. Ruby sat by the window, staring out at the street. She had her fingers crossed, silently praying to whatever god that was listening that today would be the day Today she would find out the results. Today she would know for certain if she had been accepted into the school of her dreams.

“You know that staring out the window like that isn’t going to make the results come any faster,” Ruby heard her father say from the kitchen’s doorway. She could smell whatever he had been cooking for dinner from where she sat. Ruby groaned, turning to face him as she leaned against the windowsill.

“I know, but I can try,” she said, not taking her eyes off of the street.

“Ruby, you took down how many bots...?” said Yang from her spot on the couch. The family dog, Zwei, had laid himself across her lap and pinned her there. Yang didn’t seem to mind all that much. Ruby simply shrugged.

“I don’t know. I lost count.” Especially when she started going nuts by the end.

“Then you’re fine,” Yang rubbed at her wrist until Zwei rolled over in her lap, nudging her hand with his nose in order to get more pats. Yang complied. “Better than I was anyway.”

“That’s because you have to take damage for your Quirk to work, Yang,” their dad reminded the oldest of his daughters, “If it weren’t for Recovery Girl, you would have been going into school the first day, barely even able to move.”

“Eh, I don’t mind,” Yang said with a shrug. “It was worth it.” That only made Ruby groan. The young girl pressed her forehead against the window.

“Yeah, but even with Weiss and Blake helping me, I don’t think I passed the written part at all,” she said, lifting her head off of the glass pane and turning to face her sister. “My entire future, no. my  _ fate _ all depends on that practical test!” Her dad sighed.

“I don’t know who’s worse,” said Ruby’s father, Taiyang as he looked between the two girls. “You or her.”

“Hey!” said Yang, sounding a bit offended even though the smirk on her face said otherwise. While her dad laughed, Ruby sighed. She dropped her head on the windowsill. 

“Yang, come help me with dinner. Ruby, go wash your hands.” Ruby popped up immediately, swiveling around to face him.

“My hands are clean!” she said, raising her hands for him to see just to help prove her point.

“They could be cleaner.” Ruby let out an even louder groan as her father and sister disappeared into the kitchen. She got up from her spot, making her way towards the bathroom to do as her father had said. She didn’t want to wash her hands, she wanted to get her letter!

The moment Ruby was done, she had already made up her mind to check the mailbox one more time. She made her way quickly towards the window and grinned. The mailman was already walking away from their mailbox. Ruby had to fight back the urge to use her Quirk as she pulled the door open and raced down to get the mail. She pulled out the letters and started to go through them as she walked back towards the door.

She froze on the front step when her eyes fell upon a letter sealed with a very familiar red seal. She felt like she was about to explode with happiness right then and there. 

With her Quirk, Ruby ran into the house, dropped the rest of the mail on the front otable before racing up the stairs to her bedroom with her precious letter in hand.

“Ruby, no running in the house!” she heard her father shout. Ruby was too happy to listen. She already had the door shut. Everything felt quiet as Ruby’s nerves started to take the place of her excitement. Her hands shook as she opened the letter. A small disc fell to the floor. Silver eyes went wide as it turned on, projecting a holographic video for Ruby. A single voice rang out to greet her.

“ _ I am here! _ ” She knew that voice. She knew the face she was staring at over the video. Before her was a recording of the number one hero in Japan and the Symbol of Peace himself.

“All Might?!” Ruby said, her voice a harsh whisper. She looked down at the letter in her hands before turning her attention to the hologram once more. The letter had come from U.A. So why…?!

“ _ It may come to you as a surprise, but this year, I’ll be teaching the hero course at U.A.! _ ” Ruby’s eyes went wide as the All Might protection went on. He… He was going to be doing what?! “ _ And that’s not all. I’m afraid to say that you passed the written exam with the bare minimum. _ ” 

Ruby frowned. She had been expecting that. To quote Weiss, Ruby was street smart. Not book smart. And to also quote Weiss, lacked the ability to stay focused when it comes to school work. But it was so hard! Especially when there were so many other interesting things going on around her...

“ _ However, it seems that you have someone standing for you in your corner. _ ” Ruby glanced up at All Might as he went on. “ _ You see, the practical exam wasn’t graded on villian takedowns alone. Rescue points were also a factor here. And it was brought to our attention that you saved more than your fair share of rescuing that day _ .”

Wait, rescue points? Ruby watched as the projection played for her videos that it had captured the day of the entrance exam. It showed her the two examinees that she had saved — the tired boy and the nice girl. It should have stopped there, but to her amazement, it didn’t. The video showed Ruby in her final minutes of the exam. In her robot-destroying frenzy, the girl had kept a handful of other examinees from being hurt by opponents they weren’t prepared for or didn’t even notice.

“ _ And besides, _ ” said the number one hero as the video came to an end, “ _ with a score like yours, how could U.A. turn down such an aspiring hero? _ ” Ruby raised a brow. A score like…?  _ “Ruby Rose, fifty-three villain points and twenty rescue points! Seventy-three points total! _ ” Her mouth fell open. “ _ You were tied with another student for a spot in the top ten for the practical exam. Congratulations, young lady. You’ve passed. _ ”

“ _ Welcome to your Hero Academia, Ruby! _ ” All Might concluded. Ruby sat there, stunned into silence as the projection came to an end. It turned off. And a second later, Ruby broke out into a wide grin. She let out a loud shriek of pure delight.

She had been so lost in her bliss. that she hadn’t been able to control her volume. She didn’t hear footsteps rapidly stomping up the steps or pounding on the floor outside her door. She didn’t even bat an eye when the door swung open with a loud bang.

“Ruby!” her family members cried out, rushing into the room. Ruby stared down at the disc. All Might’s words repeated in her mind. That grin hadn’t left her face.

“Ruby, are you okay?!” her father asked, his hands on the girl’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?!” Yang picked up the letter as tears started to form in the corners of Ruby’s eyes.

“I did it…” Ruby said, her voice low. Her dad raised a brow, staring at his daughter.

“Dad,” Yang said, handing her father the letter. Ruby guessed that he started to read it over, but he never got the chance to finish. The girl jumped up, bouncing on the balls of her heels before proudly proclaiming her latest accomplishment.

“I got into U.A.!” shouted the newest addition to the student body.

“I’m so proud of you!” exclaimed Yang before throwing herself on her younger sister, putting Ruby into a tight squeeze.

“That’s my girl!” said Taiyang, joining the hug and possibly making it even tighter. Ruby couldn’t stop smiling as she hugged them back. She had gotten into U.A.’s hero course. She was going to be a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time!
> 
> Chapter Three: Let the School Year Begin!
> 
> The new school year starts off with a bang.


	3. Let the School Year Begin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new school year at U.A. begins, and Ruby's ready as she ever could be. Unfortunately, she isn't quite as ready as she thinks for who and what waits for her beyond those gates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, there is bone breakage in this chapter because Midoriya and a a small amount of bullying because Bakugo.
> 
> We finally get into some canonical events of My Hero! I mean, we already did last chapter, but more so now that we get into the story and introduced to the kids of 1-A. And so does Ruby. Some of them go well, and others don't. I'll let you decide that.
> 
> Oh! And also, some good news! For those who don't follow me on tumblr, I'm happy to say that this fic will have steady updates until the end because I finished writing it on Thursday! So keep an eye out every Saturday for a new chapter!

That spring… That spring was when everything began. The path to Ruby’s future had been laid out before her was finally open. Only about one in three-hundred applicants get into U.A. every year. And Ruby was among that lucky few.

The first day, she walked through the front gate with Yang. Ruby stared out at the students heading into the building. She let out a squeal, hardly able to contain her excitement. This was the top hero school that she managed to get into. The best of the best came out of this place, and soon she was going to be one of them.

“Oh my gosh, Yang!” Ruby gushed, her silver eyes lighting up as if they were the brightest stars in the sky. U.A. stood before her, students flocking towards its doors. “Look at everyone! I can’t believe we’re really here! Look at it, look at it, look at—!” Ruby was cut off by a sharp tug to her ear provided by Yang. “Ow, ow _OW_!”

“Easy there, little sister,” said Yang, returning Ruby to her side. The two sisters stopped in the middle of the courtyard. “They’re just people.”

“It’s not about the people,” said Ruby, rubbing her now sore ear. “It’s about their Quirks.” Yang’s teasing expression softened.

“I thought you were happy with your own Quirk.”

“Of course I am. I just really like seeing other ones. It’s like meeting new people… but better.” Ruby began to fidget with the hem of her jacket, staring at the ground. “You can figure out what someone's like from their Quirk…” Yang sighed.

“You’ve been talking to Ren too much.” She was not. And even if she was, Ren was right when he talked about Quirks relating to personality. It always seemed to work out like that to her. “Come on, Ruby. There’s nothing for you to worry about! Why don’t you go try to make some friends? You’re going to have to make your own eventually.”

“Why would I need new friends when I have you?”

"Well..." Yang glanced over towards the steps of the building. Ruby followed her gaze to catch sight of three familiar figures. Everything after that happened in a flash. "Actually, my friends are already here. Gotta go catch up. 'Kay, see ya, bye!"

"Wait, where are you going?! Yang! Yang, wait! Yang, come back!" Yang didn’t hear her. She was already too far gone, leaving her confused baby sister behind as she reeled from the sudden spin she had taken caused by Yang taking off so suddenly. Ruby stumbled forward, trying to regain her balance. Unfortunately, fate did not have that in mind for her as she fell onto someone else.

For a second, Ruby thought she was fine. She would just quickly apologize and rush towards the building before anything else bad happened. However, before she could even get the first syllable of “I’m sorry” out of her mouth, she was roughly pushed away with enough force to almost knocked her to the ground.

“The hell do you think you’re doing?” Ruby caught herself this time. She stared at the boy who stood in front of her. He had choppy, spikes of blond hair. His eyes were sharp and such a bright red that they reminded Ruby a lot of Yang’s when she had her Quirk active. There was something familiar about him, but where she had seen his face, Ruby wasn’t quite sure.

Overall, the boy looked like an angry pomeranian to her. A very… _very_ intimidating pomeranian that stood half a foot taller than her. And was wearing the school’s uniform, too. Oh boy.

"Uh..." was all Ruby had been able to get out of her mouth. She felt something tickled the back of her nose as her nerves started to skyrocket.

“What are you, brain-dead?” growled the boy, “You even listening to me?!” And then Ruby did the one thing she would never get to live down. She sneezed.

Because of her panic, Ruby didn’t exactly have a decent enough control of her Quirk to stop it from activating. So when she sneezed, it went off. She accidentally threw herself forward in a cloud of rose petals. She crashed into the boy, which in turn made him collide with someone else in front of him.

Ruby had no idea what exactly happened next. The three of them had cried out, and then there was a loud explosion. A shower of snow fell on the U.A. courtyard. Ruby scrambled back off of the boy she had run into immediately as soon as things settled. She finally got to see the mess she had caused. Not only had Ruby brought down one student, she had managed to pull another into this mess.

It was another boy that was significantly taller than her and wearing the school's uniform. Though his hair was short, he had long bangs that fell somewhat into his face. But there was something about the boy that made Ruby stare. A lot of things, actually. His hair was split evenly into two colors: the right side being white and the left being red. His thin eyes were also two different colors, with his left eye being a bright turquoise and the right one a stone cold grey. But the one thing that caught Ruby’s attention was the large burn scar that covered most of the left side of his face.

It took Ruby a second to snap back to reality.

“Oh my gosh!” Ruby exclaimed, rushing over to the unwilling participant in that little explosion. She helped him back onto his feet. As soon as he was standing again, Ruby took a step back in case his reaction was the same as the blonde’s. “A-Are you okay?!”

“Fine,” said the half-and-half boy as he stood, exhaling a puff of steam from his mouth as he shot an icy glare Ruby’s way. Before Ruby could apologize, maybe even explain that the whole situation was an accident, the blonde she had initially bumped into cut her off.

“What the hell?!” shouted the boy, even more angry than before.

"I'm really, really sorry!" said Ruby, her face going red from embarrassment as she swiveled around to face him. The boy took a step towards her, getting closer and closer with each word.

“You idiot! The hell are you doing here?!” He was just about in her face.

"Well, I-I..." He was far too close for Ruby’s comfort.

“This isn’t middle school, Crater Face! Watch where you’re going before you decide that messing with a real hero is a good idea.” What?! Ruby’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at him.

“Hey, I said I was sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything!”

“I know, but it’s the only thing that I can…. huh?” Ruby stared at the boy in front of her. She thought he looked familiar. And upon closer inspection, she could finally piece together why. “Um… sorry for asking but… aren’t you the kid who got attacked by that sludge villain last year?”

And pushing that button sealed Ruby’s fate.

“What did you say?!” the boy exploded, grabbing Ruby’s shirt before she could jump back. Ruby threw up an arm to try and push him away. She didn’t have to.

“That’s enough.” The blonde was suddenly pushed back away from Ruby, letting go of her shirt in the process. It took Ruby a second to make out the white thing that had done it. The white thing was pinned onto the boy, and had quickly turned black as soon as he was a safe distance away from Ruby. He couldn’t move, no matter how much he tried to get free.

“What the hell?!”

It took Ruby a second to see what the thing was. It was a glyph decorated by a slowly spinning snowflake. And it was one that Ruby recognized. She turned, letting out a gasp at the pale, white-haired girl who was striding towards them. Her hand was held up to maintain her glyph.

“Weiss!” Ruby cried out with a small smile.

_Weiss Schnee of Class 3-A, Her Quirk: Glyphs. Having inherited her family's famous Quirk, Weiss is able to create a variety of different kinds of Glyphs! Mostly she uses these to control motion, such as push or pull. It can come in handy when your friend’s little sister is seconds away from being blown off the map._

Ruby had never been happier to see Weiss in her entire life. The white-haired girl stood still, keeping her glyph in place as two other third years walked up besides her — Jaune, and the black-haired Blake Belladonna. The pair of cat ears that were perched on Blake’s head were pressed flat against her scalp. Jaune was immediately at Ruby’s side, a hand on her shoulder and keeping her a safe distance from the boy Weiss had trapped.

“Let go of me, princess!” snapped the boy, thrashing in an attempt to escape.

“It’s heiress, actually,” said Blake flatly, golden eyes glaring at him. They were slits at this point.

“I don’t care, just let me go!” Sparks started to ignite from the boy’s palms. Ruby rushed over to Weiss’s side.

“Weiss, I’m fine,” she told her friend. Weiss looked between Ruby and the boy before dropping her hand. The glyph disappeared, and the boy was released. With one last glare towards the first year, the boy stalked away into the building. Ruby ran up to him, stopping about halfway before she could actually get to him. Close interaction was a bad idea.

“I’ll make this up to you!” she called out. The boy ignored her. Ruby sighed, looking at the small puddles the snow had made. Oh, right. There was somebody— ...else. Ruby had turned to where the half-and-half boy was. He had walked away, too. Probably while the blonde was yelling at her. Ruby groaned before dropping down onto the ground. “Welcome to U.A.”

Jaune held out his hand to her. Ruby stared at it before taking it into her own. Weiss and Blake walked up to them.

“Hey. Look on the bright side,” Jaune said as he pulled Ruby back onto her feet. “You’re not the only one having a bad day.” Ruby glanced over at the boy now marching towards U.A.’s front entrance.

“I guess…” But she had been the one to cause him to be in such a bad mood.

“How could U.A. let someone like that into its program, I’ll never know,” Ruby heard Weiss mutter under her breath before she sighed. She turned to the first year girl. “I almost thought that your sister would have stopped things before it escalated.” There was a pause. “...Ruby, where’s your sister?”

“Yang ditched me to go talk to Mirio,” Ruby explained, staring and kicking at the ground. Blake sighed.

“I’ll talk to her,” she said.

“Please don’t.” Ruby didn’t want her sister to get in trouble with her friends just because of her. “She just… wanted me to make friends.”

“I’m still going to talk to her. “ Ruby bit back another groan. Great. What else could go wrong today? There was a moment of silence as three upperclassmen looked between each other. Jaune leaned in towards the two girls.

“You guys go on ahead,” he said to the two. Weiss and Blake exchanged looks before nodding. They left Ruby with Jaune, heading towards the U.A. building together. Jaune nudged the first year’s arm.

“Hey, things are going to be fine,” he said to her. Ruby, swallowing down the horrible feeling that encounter left in her mouth, nodded. He walked alongside her as they made their way towards the building. "It’s like my mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'" Ruby sighed as Jaune opened the door and the two entered.

“Did you have any trouble on your first day?” Ruby asked as she followed Jaune through the halls and towards the staircase that led up to the upper levels.

“I was a complete mess. I got lost and ended up late. It…” Jaune sighed as the pair began to climb up the stairs. “It didn’t end well…”

“Did you have problems making friends?” Jaune hummed in response before giving his answer.

“Eh… sort of? At first, yeah, but as soon as I met Pyrrha, everything just became… easier. She introduced me to Weiss, and I’m still not sure how I became friends with everyone else. I guess it just sorta… happened.” Ruby groaned as Jaune shrugged. He nudged her arm again. “Cheer up. As long as you have the right homeroom teacher, everything will turn out fine.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means just keep your fingers crossed.” Jaune sighed, putting his hand on Ruby’s shoulder as they came to the top of the stairs. A hall cut them off there, with a series of tall doors lining the walls. “Relax, Ruby. I’m sure you’ll be fine. The first year classrooms are on this floor. I have to head further up. Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

“I… I think I got it from here,” said Ruby, glancing down that hall. There was no one there but her. “Thanks, Jaune.”

“Good luck, Ruby.” And with that last note, Jaune headed up the stairs. Ruby was left alone. Dawin in a deep breath, she made her way down the hall. She fished into her bag, pulling out the letter she had received a few weeks ago. Along with letting her know of her acceptance, it has also listed her homeroom for her. After glancing down at that bit of information again, Ruby looked up at the doors she was passing. Where was 1-A?

Ruby has been so focused on her task, that she failed to realize that someone was running up behind her. They ran smack into the girl, knocking her flat on her face.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?!” Ruby sat up. A plain-looking boy with dark green hair and freckles was standing above her. One hand was curled tightly around the strap of his large backpack, and the other was held out to Ruby. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going and… well.. uh… s-sorry!” Ruby let out a small laugh.

“It’s okay,” she told him as she took his hand. The boy easily helped her up. His cheeks were a bit red from the embarrassment for the situation. Ruby took a deep breath. So far, this was going way better than her earlier encounter. She got this. “I’m uh… I’m Ruby Rose!”

“Uh…” he blinked, staring at her. “Izuku Midoriya.” Okay. She gave out her name, and now she got his. That was a good first step. Ruby got this. She could prove to Yang that she could make friends, she got this!

“So, Izuku Midoriya…” said Ruby, lacing her fingers behind her back as she finally broke the awkward silence between them, “where are you headed?”

“Me?” Ruby nodded. “Oh, uh… 1-A…” She let out a grin. This was going a whole lot better than she thought it would. And she barely had to do anything. Now if she did this right...

“Me too! Maybe we could find it together!” A light pink dust eased across Midoriya’s face as his earlier ebarassement seemed to ebb away.

“Uh, thanks!” he said with a nod. An awkward silence fell as Ruby and Midoriya made their way down the hall, looking for the classroom. It quickly became uncomfortable, and Ruby wanted to say something just to get that feeling to go away. But the only thing she remembered was what she told Yang that morning about Quirks. You could tell a lot about a person from what their power was. Biting her lip, she supposed that trying out this tactic couldn't hurt...

“So… uh… what’s your Quirk?” Ruby asked. Midoriya glanced over at her, showing a slight bit of confusion. Ruby let out a nervous laugh. There was no turning back now, she had to keep going before she backed herself into a corner. “I can run really fast, but I leave rose petals behind whenever I use my speed. Really bad for stealth. But it comes in handy when I need to get somewhere quickly. So… uh… what about you?”

“I-It’s uh… kind of hard to talk about… I-It’s like a boost in power?” Midoriya wrung a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m uh… n-not really sure how to describe it.”

“It sounds cool.”

“It’s basically just a… a simple superpower. It makes me go faster and get stronger…” HIs face flared up again, and he shook his head. “Nothing, special. I swear! Nothing cool like making rose petals when you run.”

“Well, I like it! It sounds really useful.” The boy turned redder for a second as he glanced over at her. Ruby laughed nervously. “Sorry. I’m kind of a dork when it comes to heroes, so I want to know as much as I can about people’s Quirks. You can tell a lot about a person from their powers.”

“You analyze Quirks?” The bush faded from Midoriya’s face as he turned his gaze back to Ruby. Now it was her turn to look away.

“N-Not really, mostly just heroes. I’ve never been good at kind of analyzing stuff,” she explained, staring at the floor. “I-It’s mostly knowing who works well together. Putting together a plan and their moves! How powers work well together.” She sighed. “...Sorry, that just sounds weird, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all! I do it too!” Ruby looked up at him. There was a spark in her eye. So… it wasn’t weird at all? She wasn’t the only one? “I focus more on Quirks, though. I have books filled with notes that I’ve made since I was a kid. I’ve never met anyone else who's into heroes like that… I guess I have now.” Silence fell again for only a brief moment before the boy spoke up again. “So, um… why’d you decide to help me out?”

“It’s like my friend’s mom says to him,” said Ruby before repeating what Jaune told her. “Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.” Midoriya hummed in response. So far things were going well, but… Ruby looked around. "Hey, where are we going?"

“I-I don’t know! I was just following you,” Midoriya stammered out before laughing nervously. “You think that they would give the students a map or something… Huh? Found it!” Ruby followed his gaze. He was right. The large door marked 1-A wasn’t that far from them. The two students rushed up to it. They stood there in front of the door. The sheer amount of excitement and anticipation between them was thick enough that someone could cut it with a knife.

“You ready?” Ruby asked after what felt like forever.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Midoriya. He opened the door to Class 1-A.

Ruby found herself staring out at a sea of unfamiliar faces. She didn’t recognize a single one of her classmates. They were all strangers. Not even that nice girl or that tired-looking boy from the entrance exam seemed to have gotten into 1-A. Well… almost all of them were unfamiliar. Two faces stood out to her immediately upon seeing them.

 _You’ll be fine, he said,_ Ruby thought to herself as she stared at her classmates. _You’ll have nothing to worry about, she said_. She had plenty to worry about. Mostly because the two boys she had tripped over and caused an explosion in the courtyard were unfortunately in her class with her. And already, the one who had tried to pick a fight with her was already causing a scene.

“Take you feet off of that desk now!” said a tall boy with dark hair and glasses to the uninterested boy. He had his feet propped up on his desk. “It’s the first day and you’re already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!”

“You’re kidding me, right?” said the blonde. “Your old school put a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?”

“Uh—” the glasses boy sighed. Any sign of frustration melted away. “Let’s start over. I’m Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy.”

“Somei, huh? So you must think you’re better than me.” The boy narrowed his eyes, flashing a wicked smirk. “I’m gonna have fun tearin’ you a new one.”

“You would threaten me? Your own classmate?!” said the glasses boy — now with the name Iida attached to him — with a gasp. “Are you sure you’re in the right place?” Before the could argue any further, both students caught sight of the pair standing at the door. “It’s him.”

All eyes fell on Midoriya. Ruby stepped behind the boy, hoping to hide herself from the view of the two that she had knocked into earlier that morning. A small bit of chatter erupted from the class, and Midoriya laughed nervously.

“Uh, hi,” was all he really said. 

“Good morning!” Iida came towards the two standing at the door. Ruby stepped out from behind Midoriya, hoping that the two boys from earlier probably weren't going to say anything about what had happened. “I’m Tenya Iida fro—”

“We heard,” she said. Ruby put on her best and brightest smile to hide her tumbling nerves. “Nice to meet you, Iida! I’m Ruby Rose!”

“And I’m Izuku Midoriya,” added the boy next to her. “It’s super nice to meet you.”

“Midoriya,” said Iida with a nod. You realized that there was something more to the practical exam, didn’t you?” Midoriya only stared at him. “You must be very perceptive. And I completely misjudged you, I admit. As a student, you’re far superior to me.” What?

“Um, I find that hard to believe…” Ruby looked between the two. Again. What? She was about to ask what Iida had meant when a voice from behind interrupted the conversation.

“Hey! I recognize that messed-up hair! Falling boy!” Midoriya let out a gasp yet again as he and Ruby turned around. Standing behind them was a round-faced girl with large brown eyes. Her hair was shoulder-length, and just about the same color as her eyes. And lucky for Ruby, she wasn’t towering over her like most of the classmates she had met were. Well, everyone besides Midoriya.

“You got in! Just like Present Mic said!” the round-faced girl continued. “Makes sense though. That punch was awesome!” The green-haired boy said nothing. A blush had crept up on his face again. Ruby nudged Midoriya’s arm, bringing him back into reality.

“Oh, hey, hi! Oh my gosh!” he blurted out to the girl, his face still slightly red. “So, uh, I should probably be thanking you for going in and talking to him.”

“Huh?” The new girl raised an eyebrow. “How’d you know about that?”

“Oh, I— Um— What?” Ruby looked between Midoriya, Iida and the newcomer. She bit back a sigh.

_Why do I feel like there’s an important part of the story that I’m missing?_

“What do you think we’re doing today besides orientation?” said the round-faced girl, just as excited as Ruby had been that morning. “I wonder what our teachers are like. I can’t wait to meet everybody!” Ruby swallowed something in her throat. Okay she seemed easy to talk to. All she had to do was say something, right?

“Uh, me, too!” she said, stammering over her words. Okay, that could’ve gone a lot better. But at least she did it!

“If you’re just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now.” All of the kids standing in the doorway turned at this new voice. Lying on the floor in a bright yellow sleeping bag was a homeless-looking man. Ruby stared, her mouth dropping open a little. “Welcome to U.A.’s hero course.”

What? Just… what?! The man stood up, unzipping and shedding the sleeping bag like it was some kind of cocoon. 

“It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That’s not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that,” he said, holding the bag in one hand as he stepped into the doorway. “Hello, I’m Shouta Aizawa. Your teacher.”

Ruby stared at him. Shouta Aizawa? Wait… Teacher? This guy was their teacher? So… he was a Pro Hero, too? To Ruby, he didn’t look familiar at all. And looked way too old to have just debuted, too. There would be now way he was a teacher if he did, anyway.

“Right, let’s get to it.” Aizawa reached into his bag as he stood in the doorway. He withdrew a dark blue uniform decorated with white and red. Ruby has seen a few of those in Yang’s closest before, and added a new one of her own a couple of weeks ago. It was the U.A. PE uniform. “Put these on and head outside.”

Ruby raised a brow. Wait, what?

* * *

As confused as she was, Ruby didn’t feel the need to argue. Especially not after _that_ introduction. She, like the rest of her class, did as she was told. She got changed quickly in the girls' locker rooms before rushing outside to meet with the rest of her class and her teacher. Only then did she find out what this was all about.

 _A Quirk Assessment test?_ Ruby muttered to herself in her mind the moment that Mr. Aizawa announced what they would be doing out there in the school’s training yard.

“But orientation!” piped up the round-faced girl, just as in shock as everyone else. “We’re gonna miss it!” Their teacher really didn’t seem to care.

“If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can’t waste time on pointless ceremonies. Here at U.A., we’re not tethered to traditions. That means that I get to run my class however I see fit,” said Mr. Aizawa, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You’ve been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country’s still trying to pretend we’re all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It’s not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn.

“Bakugo,” her teacher turned to the angry pomeranian, “you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in junior high?” So, that was his name. Bakugo. Wait, he did _what_ on the entrance exam?!

“Sixty-seven meters, I think,” Bakugo answered.

“Right.” Mr. Aizawa handed the boy a softball from his pocket, pulling out a small handheld device from the other. “Anything goes, just stay in the circle.” Bakugo said nothing as he made his way towards the circle. When he got there, all he did was stand in place before casting an uninterested glance at his teacher. “Go on. You’re wasting our time.”

“Alright, man, you asked for it.” Bakugo stretched out his arms before taking position and screaming out: “DIE!” He threw the ball.

An explosion erupted from the palm of his hand as he did. The force sent the ball flying like a rocket. Ruby’s eyes widened at the sight. Well, at least she had a decent idea of what caused the explosion earlier...

“All of you need to know you maximum capabilities,” said Aizawa as the ball finally landed somewhere in the distance. “It’s the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero.” He held up the device in hand, displaying Bakugo’s score for the class: 705.2 meters. Ruby’s eyes widened at the number.

“Whoa, 705 meters, are you kidding me?” exclaimed one boy.

“I wanna go!” said a pink girl. “That looks like fun!”

“This is what I’m talkin’ about,” added a tall boy with a wide grin, “usin’ our Quirks as much as we want!” Ruby herself couldn’t stop her own smile.

“This is going to be so much fun…!” she muttered to herself. She hasn’t been able to use her Quirk without restraints before… at least not when she wasn’t training. This was something new. And it excited her.

And apparently was not the reaction to the tests that their teacher wanted.

“So, this looks fun, huh? You have three years here to become a hero. You think it’s all gonna be games and playtime?” said Aizawa, and those words immediately put a damper on the class’s spirit. Their teacher smirked. “Idiots. Today you’ll compete in eight physical tests to gauge you potential. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled immediately. Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs.” With their attention now, Aizawa pushed his hair out of his face, gazing at the group of wannabe heroes before him. “Understand? If that’s a problem, you can head home right now.”

The round-faced girl was the only one out of the entire class who was brave enough to step forward.

“You can’t send one of us home!” she said. “I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn’t the first day, that isn’t fair!” Mr. Aizawa stared her down, the smirk on his face wiped away by her words.

“Oh, and you think natural disasters are? Or power-hungry villains? Hm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities?” The girl didn’t say anything. She stepped back into line with the rest of her class. Her silence was the only answer that Mr. Aizawa needed. “No, the world is full of unfairness. It’s a hero’s job to try and combat that unfairness.

“If you wanna be a pro, you’re gonna have to push yourself to the brink,” Mr. Aizawa continued. “For the next three years, U.A. will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So, go beyond. Plus Ultra-style.” He held up his hand, gesturing at the students to come at him. To give him all that they had. “Show me it’s no mistake that you’re here.”

Hearing that… Ruby was determined to prove that she was meant to be here.

* * *

The first test that Mr. Aizawa put his class through was one that Ruby knew or sure that she could pass with flying colors. It was a simple fifty meter dash. A race. A test of speed. And if Ruby was good with anything, it was her speed.

One of the first students to take their mark at the track’s starting line was Iida. He had his uniform’s pants rolled up, exposing the mufflers still out of his calves. Wait, what?

“Runners on your marks,” said a robotic voice coming from the measuring device that had been set up. A frog-like girl took her place at the starting line alongside Iida. “Ready—”

There was the sound of something like a gunshot. Iida took off in an impressive burst of speed, while the girl hopped along behind him. Ruby stared in amazement at how Iida was moving. He was fast enough to rival her own speed.

“3.04 seconds,” cried out the measuring device as Iida crossed. Now the mufflers made sense. Ruby looked down at his smoking engines when he finally came to a stop, trying to not make it look like she was staring. That… was a really cool Quirk. ...and kind of familiar now that she thought about it.

One of the next students up was the round-faced girl from that morning. Ruby could hear her talking to herself as she walked up to the starting line.

“I’ll lighten up my clothes,” muttered the girl as she tapped her shoulder and legs. “Oh, and my shoes, too!” She tapped the bottom of her shoes. Ruby raised a brow as her classmate took to the staring line alongside a boy with a tail. Lighten up? They didn’t look any brighter...

“Get set—” There was a bang. Both of Ruby’s classmates took off down the line, with the boy with the tail beating the round-faced girl by a few seconds. Still, she looked happy with her result. Ruby began to wonder what her Quirk was. She said lighten up her clothes, but they didn’t glow at all. What could she do?

The next two students took their place at the starting line: a blonde boy with a thick belt around his waist that covered his stomach and a girl with pink skin, pink hair and horns. The former was barefoot.

“Nice attempts, mon amis,” said the blonde, turning around. “But you’re just not showing enough panache!” Ruby raised a brow. What was he doing?

When the gunshot sounded, she got her answer. A bright blue beam shot out from the center of his belt. It sent him flying backwards. Okay, a belly button laser. Cool. ...well not entirely, as the boy fell about halfway when the laser stopped firing. He quickly got back up and finished the race in the same manner as before.

“5.51 seconds!” announced the device as the blonde crossed. On and on it went, until there were only a handful of students left. Soon enough, it was time for Bakugo and Midoriya to go. As soon as they got the signal to start, Bakugo propelled himself forward, palms outstretched and behind him. THe force of the explosions created form them propelled the boy forward, giving him a significant boost in speed.

“4.13 seconds!” said the device as the explosive student finished. Behind him, Midoriya trailed along as he ran at a normal pace. As a result, he finished with an average time. “7.02 seconds!”

Then there was only one more person left. And that was Ruby. The girl stretched out her arms as she approached the starting line.

 _Alright, Ruby_ , she thought to herself as she took her place. She smirked. _Time to show everyone where you shine!_

“Runners, on your marks… get set—!” Bang. With her Quirk active, Ruby took off flying down the track. All that was left behind was a trail of fluffy rose petals in her wake. And as she crossed the finish line… “3.74 seconds!”

_Ruby Rose, Her Quirk: Petal Burst. Ruby's Quirk allows her to move at up to speeds that are too fast for the human eye, almost as if she could teleport. More often than not, rose petals are left behind in her wake!_

Ruby grinned as she looked at the trail. That was way faster than she was in middle school. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

* * *

The second test was grip strength. Each member of the class was given a device they had to squeeze to measure it. Ruby squeezed her own, letting out a sigh at the score she got. Well it wasn’t like she expected to get a high score after all.

Ruby glanced out of the corner of her eye at Midoriya. He was staring at his own device with a slit from on his face. It wasn’t until Ruby strode over that she soon saw why. The score he managed to get was only fifty-six. For someone with a Quirk like the one he described, Ruby found that kind of strange. Maybe that’s why he was so upset with it.

“Better than I did,” Ruby said to him in hopes of making him feel better. She showed Midoriya her own device. It only read 29.5 kg. That seemed to do the trick with the disappointed look on his face rubbing out a bit. However, another one of their classmates — a boy with multiple arms — pulled his.

“You hit 540 kilograms!?” shouted someone, drawing Ruby and Midoriya’s attention to them. “You’re such a beast!”

“Yeah! Like a muscle-y octopus!” Ruby let out a sigh, patting a distraught Midoriya on the shoulder. Well… It couldn’t be said that they didn’t try.

* * *

The third test was a long jump. Much like Bakugo and the boy with the laser, Ruby was able to use her Quirk to give her a boost to cross further than normal. She skidded to a halt a few feet away from the end of the pit. However, when Midoriya took his jump, he lost his balance as he landed and fell flat on his ass.

On and on they went. Each student was put to the test, using their Quirks to the best of their ability to get a good score. And all of them lead up to the sixth test, which was the softball throw. And honestly, out of the earlier events, it was more eventful. All the round-faced girl had to do was touch the ball. She didn’t even throw it, and yet it still flew off into the air. When Mr. Aizawa displayed her score, it read infinity.

Okay, Ruby _really_ wanted to know what her Quirk was. Could she make things float? She didn’t have much time to question it. The next person to throw was Midoriya. He took his place in the circle, staring down at the softball he had been given. Ruby stood on the sidelines with her classmates. There was tension lingering in the air.

“If Midoriya doesn’t shape up soon, he’s going home,” said Iida from beside her. He wasn’t far from wrong. Ruby didn’t think that Midoriya had even used his Quirk this entire time. They had free range here. And with a power like that, why wouldn’t he take this chance to use it?

“Huh? Of course he is,” said Bakugo. “He’s a Quirkless loser.” Ruby glanced over at him with a brow raised. Quirkless?

“What are you talking about?” she asked, recalling the conversation she had with Midoriya earlier that morning, “Of course he has a Quirk.”

“She’s right,” said Iida with a nod. “Did you not hear about what he did in the entrance exam?” Bakugo looked over at Iida with as much confusion on his face as Ruby had on hers.

“Iida,” said Ruby, a brow raised, “what did Midoriya do?”

“You don’t know?” said the infinity girl on Ruby’s other side. Ruby turned to face her, letting out a small chuckle.

“Might’ve been in a different zone…” What did he do that left her so confused? Was this the missing piece of the puzzle from that morning? 

“He took down one of those giant robots with a single punch! Just like… bam!” She slammed her fist into her hand. “And it went down!” Ruby stared at her.

“Whoa…” She looked back over at Midoriya. He had that much power? He made it seem like his Quirk wasn’t anything special at all when they talked about it earlier. She watched as Midoriya went to throw the ball, energy lighting up his arm. However, much to her surprise, the ball didn’t go very far at all. It just pathetically plopped on the ground a few feet away.

“What gives?” Midoriya said, muttering to himself out loud. “I was trying to use it now.” Ruby went rigid as she saw her homeroom teacher’s hair stand on end. His scarf started to float around him.

“I erased your Quirk.” said Aizawa. “The judges for this exam were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school.”

“Wait, you did what to my—?!” Midoriya’s eyes widened as he brought something to attention around their teacher’s now exposed neck: a pair of bright yellow goggles. “Those goggles. I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure Hero: Eraserhead!”

“Eraser?” repeated a boy with weird looking elbows. Who’s that?

“Oh, I’ve heard of him,” said the frog girl. “I think he works on the down-low.”

 _Eraserhead…_? It took Ruby about a solid minute to realize where she had heard that name before. She had heard Uncle Qrow complain about such a hero before to her dad, but rarely ever dropped his name in front of the girls. Both of them wanted Ruby and her sister to trust heroes to the fullest, even if they did things to drive the two adults crazy. It had been a mere slip of the tongue when he thought that Ruby wasn’t listening that she had heard the name.

If she remembered right, Uncle Qrow had said something about being stubborn and hardheaded… Then her dad turned it back on him, saying Qrow was the same way. It made her uncle mad, at which point Ruby had left. That same guy was her teacher?!

“You’re not ready,” Aizawa continued, red eyed-gaze still burning into Midoriya. “You don’t have control over your power. Were you planning to break your bones again? Counting on someone else to save your useless body?”

“No! That’s not what I was trying to do!” Mr. Aizawa threw an end of his scarf, letting it wrap around Midoriya like a snake. He yanked it, pulling Midoriya closer to him. Ruby flinched.

“No matter what your intentions are, you would be nothing more than a liability in battle. You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous hero I know. One who saved 1,000 people by himself and became a legend. But even with that drive, you’re worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down.” Ruby saw the boy’s face fall. “Sorry, Midoriya. With your power, there’s no way you can become a hero.” The beaten expression Midoriya had turned around, now showing nothing but determination. Aizawa released him from his bonds, his hair falling. His scarf returned to its normal place around his neck and shoulders.

“I’ve returned your impractical Quirk,” said Aizawa. “Take your final throw. Hurry and get it over with.” Midoriya nodded as he picked up the ball again. He stared down at it, and Ruby’s breath was caught in her throat. Izuku Midoriya was so far the only person she could hold a conversation with. He seemed like such a nice person, too. There was no way that someone like him could just be… expelled!

 _Come on…_! Midoriya muttered something to himself before he drew back his arm. He threw the ball. And this time, it went flying over the field with the force of a firework. Ruby’s jaw dropped at her classmate’s display of power. She knew what Midoriya’s power was but that… that was amazing!

“Mr. Aizawa!” Midoriya called out to their teacher. With tears in his eyes, he clenched his hand tightly into a fist. “You see? I’m still standing!”

“He threw it over seven hundred meters!” shouted one of Ruby’s blonde classmates.

“Nice, he’s finally showing us his true power!” said the infinity girl.

“But his finger appears to be broken now,” pointed out Iida. Wait, what? Ruby stared at Midoriya’s right hand. Iida was right. Their classmate’s index finger was nothing but one, painful-looking bruise. Iida sighed. “Just like in the exam. This Quirk is very odd.” 

While everyone was in awe of Midoriya’s power, one person… one person in Class 1-A was not. Bakugo was practically seething with anger, even though his jaw had dropped and his eyes were bugging out of his skull at the shock of Midriya’s displayed strength. He growled and finally snapped, palms igniting in small bursts.

“Deku, YOU BASTARD!” Ruby leapt back as Bakugo charged forward, his hand outstretched and ready to grab Midoriya so he could blow him off the map. “Tell me how you did that, or you’re dead!” Midoriya let out a scream as their classmate came at him. Ruby never saw someone react that fast. Aizawa’s scarf was quickly wrapped around his student, holding Bakugo just out of reach of Midoriya as he activated his Quirk.

Yeah, Bakugo definitely was an angry pomeranian.

“Why the hell is your damn scarf so strong?!” Bakgo growled, struggling against the fabric that bound him.

“Because it’s a capture weapon made out of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy,” said Mr. Aizawa, not even trying to hide his irritation at Bakugo’s outburst. “Stand down. It’d be wise to avoid making me use my Quirk so much. It gives me serious dry eye.” He released Bakugo when the boy managed something like a nod. His hair and scarf both fell. Too bad. That Quirk of his was pretty amazing. “You’re wasting my time now. Whoever’s next can step up.”

Midoriya and Bakugo stared at each other for a moment. With a squeak, Midoriya shuffled around Bakugo. The explosive blonde was oddly still and silent as Midoriya rushed over to the rest of the class.

“Ouch,” said the round-faced girl as Midoriya ran up to her and Ruby, “is your finger okay?”

“Sure,” said Midoriya quickly as he held his hand to his chest. “Fine!”

“Is it broken…?” Ruby asked. That bruise did not look normal.

“Uh, it’s the drawback of my power. I can’t really control it yet…”

“Ouch…” Ruby rubbed at a spot on her forehead. She understood that a little too well, recalling every single moment when she ran into walls as a kid. Of course, that had slowly stopped when she started to gain control of her speed, but back when her Quirk first manifested...

Ruby shook her head as she rejoined her classmates in reality for the next test. Hopefully, U.A. could help Midoriya with his power. If anyone had the Quirk of a hero, it had to have been him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize going forward, because I do not let the pomeranian thing go any time soon. It's just too accurate a description of Bakugo.
> 
> Next time:
> 
> Chapter Four -- Friends
> 
> Doors open as the test ends. And is fairly short, I'm sorry--
> 
> Go beyond, Plus Ultra!


	4. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby's first day at U.A. comes to an end. But to her, there's one minor complication that still needs to be resolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance, as this is a pretty short chapter. But hopefully the amount of fluff in it makes up for that!
> 
> There's nothing in this chapter that I think I need to warn you about asides from Uraraka being a good girl and Yang being a good sister... at least good compared to last time.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a flash. None of the tests after the softball throw were all that eventful and really nothing that Ruby could use her Quirk on. Despite that little fact, she felt exhaustion tug at the edge of her body. And she wasn’t the only one. The entire class looked like they were about ready to drop. As they gathered around their teacher, Ruby saw that someone actually did.

Izuku Midoriya had flopped back onto the ground, panting heavily with an arm throwing over his face. Ruby held out her hand to him. He let out a groan before taking it, allowing the girl to help him back onto his feet. Together, the two shuffled towards where the rest of the class had gathered around Mr. Aizawa. Even without the Quirk necessary for it, Ruby could feel that the rest of the class was a bit on edge.

Probably because if they came in last, they would be expelled from U.A. without even getting a chance to be a hero. Ruby swallowed something down, keeping her fingers crossed that she hadn’t placed last.

“I’ve ranked you all from best to worst. You should probably have a good idea of your standing already,” said Aizawa as he pulled out the device he used to measure the kids’ scores. “I’ll just pull up the whole list. It’s not worth going over each individual's score.” And as promised, he projected the holographic list from said device in hand for all the class to see. Ruby scanned the list. She breathed out a sigh of relief upon finding her name sitting comfortably at the thirteenth spot.

She heard a squeak escape from Midoriya. She followed his gaze, spotting the boy’s name on the list. Now his reaction made sense. Izuku Midoriya came in last place. Which meant that—

“And I was lying,” said their teacher as he recalled the projection. “No one’s going home.” Ruby froze. Wait, what?! Mr. Aizawa grinned. “That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests.” Again,  _ what _ ?! The entire class let out their own gasps and yelps from the shock. At least she wasn’t the only one ticked off by their teacher’s trick.

“I’m surprised the rest of you didn’t figure that out,” said a tall girl with her black hair drawn back into a ponytail, “I’m sorry, I guess I probably should have said something.”

“Yeah, you should have!” Ruby told her. It would’ve helped not only her but the rest of the class to know that their futures weren’t in jeopardy. 

“That was pretty nerve-wracking, huh?” said a tall boy to a redhead beside him.

“Nah,” said the boy with spiky red hair, “I’m always down for a challenge!” At least someone found a positive side to all of this.

“That’s it. We’re done for the day,” said Aizawa, finally dismissing his students. “Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning.” Midoriya let out a sigh, and Ruby put a hand on his back. They both had survived their first day intact.

* * *

The students quickly rushed back to their respective locker rooms in order to get changed out of their P.E. clothes. The only exception was Midoriya, who had been given a slip by their teacher to go to the nurse’s office to have his broken finger dealt with.

Ruby had to admit… She really hated the small amount of silence that had fallen between the girls of Class 1-A when the entered. It was only then that she realized how few girls there were. Counting her, there were only about seven total. Great… just great…

And to make matters worse, Ruby was failing to tie her uniform’s tie. Yang had shown her how to do it before they left that morning, and even Jaune had to fix it while they were at the station. It was so easy to get off, why couldn’t it be easy to remember how to get the dang thing on?!

“Do you need some help?” Ruby looked over at the direction of the voice. It was coming from the round-faced girl with the infinity score. She had already gotten dressed and was staring at the tie in her classmate’s hands.

“Um…” Ruby nervously laughed, looking down at the tie in her hands, “y-yeah…” Her classmate didn’t hesitate to help. She took the tie from Ruby’s hands, swiftly tying it into the knot it was in that morning. Ruby let out a sigh.

“There we go!” said the round-faced girl as soon as she was done.

“Thanks.” Ruby looked over at the girl as she picked up her things. Maybe… just maybe… “You’re the girl who got the infinity score on the ball throw, right?”

“Yup, that's me!” The girl shut her own locker. “Oh yeah, we never got the chance to introduce ourselves this morning.” She turned back to Ruby with a welcoming smile. “I’m Ochako Uraraka!”

“My name's Ruby Rose! But you can just call me Crater…” Ruby kept up a smile, trying to hide the embarrassment of that slip up on her face. Bakugo already called her that. She didn’t need anyone else doing the same. “You know what, nevermind. Forget I said that last thing.”

“Okay… It’s nice to meet you,” said Uraraka before letting out a sigh. She picked up her bag. The pair left the locker room together, keeping almost exact pace. It didn’t seem like she was leaving Ruby’s side any time soon. That was a good sign, right? “I can’t believe we survived the whole day! Not that I thought we would get expelled or anything but Mr. Aizawa really had me going there for a second. It’s kind of crazy, you know?”

“Yeah, I never thought the teachers could expel us like that… kind of scared me,” said Ruby, with a nervous chuckle. “Do you think he’s going for a tough love method of teaching?”

“Hm, maybe,” said Uraraka. An awkward silence had fallen again as the two walked down the hall with a few other members of their class now catching up. Ruby didn’t like it. She didn’t like this silence. She took a deep breath. If it worked with Midoriya...

“So… um… about your softball throw…” Ruby cleared her throat to try and get rid of the lump forming in it, “it um… just kept going, right?” Uraraka stared at her a moment before nodding. 

“Oh yeah!” she said, descending the stairs a few paces in front of Ruby. “I can make things I touch float. And let me guess yours! Um… you make flowers when you run, right?” Ruby chuckled nervously.

“Sort of?” The pair approached their lockers, switching out their indoor shoes for their normal ones. “I can just run really fast. The rose petals are a side effect…”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“Not as cool as what you can do.” Ruby shut her locker. “It sounds really useful!”

“Thanks!” said Uraraka with a small smile. “Still… better to make flowers than get sick…” Ruby raised a brow.

“What?”

“Nothing!” They exited the building, still walking side by side. So far so good. “Hey, do you—?” Uraraka stopped short as the pair reached the steps. Ruby raised a brow.

“Uraraka?”

“Hey! Wait up, you two!” Uraraka took Ruby by the hand. Without much warning, she took off running towards the gate, dragging Ruby behind her a few feet before she could run herself. 

“Uraraka!” Uraraka didn't listen to Ruby’s cry, only letting the shorter girl slip out of her hand. Ruby kept up her pace, following Uraraka’s path to see why she had acted the way she did. Standing at the gate were Iida and Midoriya. Unfortunately for Ruby, Yang or any other familiar face wasn’t in sight.

“Are you going to the station?” said Uraraka as she and Ruby finally caught up with the two boys. Midoriya’s fingers were bandaged. “We’ll join you guys!” Iida stared at the two.

“Oh, you’re the infinity and the rose girls,” he said. Uraraka nodded.

“I’m Ochako Uraraka.” She gestured to the girl beside her. “This is Ruby Rose.”

“Um, hi,” said Ruby, offering a small wave. Midoriya smiled in her direction, while Iida only nodded. The tallest of the four opened his mouth to speak, probably to introduce himself, before he was caught off by the round-faced girl.

“Let’s see… You are Tenya Iida,” said Uraraka. Iida, a bit stunned, nodded before she turned to the green-haired boy. “And your name is… Deku, right? Midoriya?” Midoriya’s eyes widened.

“‘Deku’?!” he repeated. Uraraka nodded.

“Uh, yeah. Isn’t that what Bakugo called you? During the fitness test, he said, ‘Deku, you bastard!’ Right?” Well… she wasn’t exactly wrong. Was that his name or…?

“I thought your name was Izuku,” said Ruby. That’s what he had told her that morning. Midoriya didn’t lie to her, did he?

“Uh, well, it is. Actually, they both are,” Midoriya said, his face going red. “Deku’s what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me.” Ruby winced in sympathy.

“That’s unsportsmanlike,” remarked Iida.

“Bakugo isn’t sportsmanlike,” said Ruby. “He’s an angry pomeranian.”

“A what?” Ruby only shrugged. It was the easiest way she could think of to describe their classmate. His hair didn’t help at all.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that! I’m sorry!” Uraraka said, apologizing for her mistake. “But you know what? I like ‘Deku’. It could make a great hero name! Plus, I think it sounds kinda cute.”

“Deku it is!” Midoriya said quickly, his face going redder than before even though he was grinning. Ruby stare at Midoriya, a brow raised.

“Just like that?” said Iida, just as confused as Ruby was about Midoriya’s sudden change in attitude. “Weren’t you saying that it was an insult?”

“Paradigm shift! My whole world is upside down!”

Uraraka blinked. “Wait, what?”

Ruby couldn’t help but laugh, though she hid it behind her hand. She had to admit something to herself as she walked with her classmates out of U.A.’s gates. This was nice. She never expected to be this close to her classmates so soon. She wasn’t going to say it out loud in order to avoid jinxing herself, but she really liked it.

* * *

The rest of the day went by without anything else eventful happening. Ruby bid goodbye to her friends at the station as soon as she tracked down Yang and Jaune. The older students asked her a little bit about her day… or at least tried to. With all the activity that had gone on, Ruby fell asleep as soon as she found her seat, using her sister’s shoulder as a pillow.

Yang woke her up with a nudge as soon as they arrived at their stop. Ruby listened to her sister and Jaune talking about all that awaited them as third year students that year. Ruby drifted in and out of the conversation, catching only bits about having to do more hero work. They were almost done with their training. One more year, and both Yang and Jaune would officially be Pro Heroes.

Yang didn’t say anything about what had happened earlier that day, and Ruby wasn’t going to pry open that can of worms. It wasn’t until both sisters had settled down into their room for the night that anything really happened. Ruby was sitting on Yang’s bed, scrolling through her phone while Yang was doing… something at her desk. Did she have homework already? Or was it paperwork from her work study? Zwei was nestled next to Yang’s bed, doing his best to hop up there on short, stubby legs. He was failing each time.

It was only when Yang’s phone buzzed with a text that the silence between the sisters was broken. Yang let out a little sigh as she looked at the message she had got.

“So,” she swiveled her desk chair around to face the intruder on her bed. Ruby bit back a groan. Here goes... “How did your first day go, little sister?” Ruby narrowed her eyes, glaring at Yang.

“You mean since you ditched me in the middle of the courtyard and I exploded?” she said flatly, recalling the events of that very morning. Yang hissed, wincing in sympathy.

“Did you have a meltdown already?” she asked. Her sister shook her head. She wished that she did. It would’ve been a lot less embarrassing compared to what actually happened.

“No, I literally caused an explosion in front of the school!” Ruby groaned, resting her chin on her knees. “There was some ice, and I think there was a little bit of fire?”

“Are you being sarcastic?” Ruby let out another groan, louder this time.

“I tripped and fell onto some crabby guy. And then he yelled at me, and then I sneezed and then my Quirk went off, and I knocked him into someone else,” she explained, feeling Yang’s stare on her the entire time. “Then we all exploded, and then he yelled at me again. I felt really bad, and all I wanted was for him to stop yelling at me! And to make matters worse, both of them are in my class!”

“So… I’m guessing that’s what happened when Weiss came to your rescue?” Ruby paused before letting out a heavy groan. So Blake did tell her after all. “Do you want me to deal with him?”

“Please don’t.” She knew how angry Yang could get when it came to topics like this. She did not like bullies one bit, no matter who they were or how old they were. Zwei whined, looking up at Ruby with his big ol’ puppy dog eyes.

“Just say the word, Ruby, and we’ll be there to help you. You know that.”

“I know, but…” Ruby bent down, wrapping her hands around Zwei as he tried, again unsuccessful, to get up onto Yang’s bed. He let out a happy yip before he curled up in the girl’s lap, snuggling up close to her. Ruby scratched him behind the ear. “I want to be able to deal with this problem on my own. And not punch it.”

“I don’t punch all of my problems.”

“Most of them, you do.” Yang let out a short groan. Ruby was right, and she couldn’t very well argue. Fighting and practicing combat was literally how Yang dealt with her problems. She’d use it as a way to blow off steam and stress and calm back down.

“Well… the rest of your class might be nice.” said Yang, leaning against her chair and trying to put a positive spin on this whole mess Ruby got herself into. “Besides, it’s kind of cute that you’re trying to make friends. Soon, it’ll be like second nature to you!”

“Shut up!” Ruby reached behind her and grabbed a pillow. She chucked it at Yang, hitting her sister dead in the face. “I’m the only one out of everyone in middle school who got into U.A. It's weird not knowing anyone! At least you had Jaune!” 

"I really didn't."

Ruby sighed. “I’m alone.”

“What about us third years? Me, Blake, Weiss, Jaune—” Ruby cut her sister off with a groan.

“You guys are all in your third years! You’re way ahead of me! I’m alone in my class…” She sighed again, flopping back on her sister’s bed, “and I’m pretty sure that Bakugo counts as a negative friend.”

“There's no such thing as negative friends. You just made an enemy.” Ruby threw another pillow at her sister. This time, Yang anticipated it. She caught the pillow before it could strike her in the face. Damn her reflexes. Yang sighed. “Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet.”

“I doubt it. There were some people that I met in the entrance exam, but I didn’t see them at all.” It would’ve been nice to see that girl again. Maybe even that boy, even if he was a bit rude towards her. Any familiar face would’ve been helpful. Ruby sighed. “Maybe they didn’t even get into U.A.”

“There has to be at least  _ one _ person that you got along with in your class today,” said Yang as her phone buzzed against her desk. “What about those guys I saw you walking to the station with? The round face girl, the box-looking guy and that plain kid?”

“Well, they were really nice.” A grin grew on Ruby’s face. “And one of them likes heroes, too! He was the one who managed to figure out who our teacher was. Not even I could do that.”

“See? You’ll be fine.” Yang turned back to her desk and whatever work lay upon it. Whether that was homework or stuff from her work study, Ruby couldn’t quite see. With school just starting, too, it was hard to figure out what it was as well. “It took me a while to make friends, too. You’ll get there eventually. I promise. You just gotta… be yourself!”

“Be myself?” Ruby repeated, earning only a nod from her sister.

“Easiest way to make friends, baby sister.” Yang fired off a text over her phone before returning properly to her task at hand. Just be herself, huh? Ruby sighed, planting her face into Zwei’s soft fur. That was easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! The first day at U.A. is over, and Ruby's already made an enemy. To be honest, was anyone really expecting her to have a good relationship with Bakugo right off the bat? Because I can promise that it's not going to improve any time soon. At least not for a while, Bakugo's very abrasive. It reminds me a lot of early V1 Weiss.
> 
> Anyway! Next three chapters will cover the Battle Trial arc! Whose ready for that?
> 
> Next time:  
> Chapter Five: Hero 101
> 
> Hero training is about to kick off.
> 
> Go beyond! Plus Ultra!


	5. Hero 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class 1-A begins their hero training. Ruby finally gets to show what she's made of, and is given a chance to follow some advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance, as this is mostly just set up for the mock battles. And I apologize in advance again because I think I went a bit overboard when describing Ruby's hero costume in order to pad out the word count for this chapter.
> 
> There really isn't that much to say here. No warnings, so you guys should be good. So, all I have to say right now is this: Iida is a good boy.

Walking up to U.A. that morning, Ruby felt far better than she did the day before. It was no longer the first day, everyone had gotten a little bit familiar with their classmates and finally,  _ finally _ , the school year could begin. That included lessons. And what was awaiting her that afternoon was solely responsible for the smile Ruby had on her face as she walked alongside Yang and Jaune.

Ruby’s good mood did not go unnoticed.

“You seem awfully chipper this morning,” said Yang as the trio walked through U.A.’s front gate.

“Yup!” said Ruby with a grin and nod. “No more awkward small talk or ‘getting-to-know-you’ stuff—” of the threat of being expelled by her homeroom teacher… “Today, I get to let my Quirk do the talking!”

“Right, you guys start hero training today,” said Jaune. Ruby proudly nodded. The boy let out a heavy sigh. “You guys are lucky that you have All Might teaching you your first year.” Yeah… Ruby guessed she was a bit lucky.

“Some advice, little sister,” said Yang as she hooked an arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “Whatever you do, don’t pull a Jaune.” Jaune raised a brow, glancing over at Yang.

“Pull a what?”

“A Jaune.” Yang made it sound like it was a common term that everybody knew the meaning of. “It’s what we call a massive mistake while doing hero work or training.” Jaune turned a pale shade of pink.

“Oh please!” he said, obviously flustered by Yang’s explanation. “I haven’t done anything like that!”

“The entire ‘Snow Angel’ fiasco?” There was a moment of silence before Jaune loudly groaned. Ruby looked over at her sister.

“Snow Angel…?” she repeated. Yang nodded. What exactly was she talking about?

“I…” Jaune sighed, dragging a hand down his face in a poor attempt to hide his embarrassment, “flirted with Weiss. A lot in our first year… I went too far once during one training exercise, so… uh…”

“Pyrrha pinned him to a wall with a metal pole,” Yang snickered, not doing anything to really hide it. “He stopped after that.” Jaune groaned once more as they entered the building.

“My dad said all women look for is confidence!”

“‘Snow Angel’ probably wasn't the best start, but at least you guys are on better terms now.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Jaune let out another heavy sigh. “Can we not talk about all my blunders our first year?”

“Why?” asked Yang with a shrug. “Because that wasn’t the last time Pyrrha pinned you to anything with a pole? What about that tree during your final exams?” Jaune loudly groaned again, and Yang laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Anyway, Ruby, don’t pull a Jaune. And remember, you’re not the only one going through hero training. If you want to grow up, you gotta meet new people and learn to work together!” It was Ruby’s turn to let out a heavy groan.

“You sound like Dad!” she said with a frustrated sigh, turning towards the blondes, “Okay, first of all, what does meeting new people have to do with being a hero? And secondly, I don’t need people to grow up! I drink milk!”

“She’s kind of right, Ruby,” said Jaune. The shorter girl whipped around to face him with a glare.

“I thought you were supposed to be on my side!” she exclaimed.

“I am! But Yang  _ is _ right.” Ruby groaned. That was not what she wanted to hear this morning. “Eventually, you’re going to need to learn how to work with other people. Heroes work together all the time, right? You need to work together with your class while training to pass.” When Ruby didn’t answer, Jaune gently nudged her arm. “Hey, it might help you out in the field once you graduate, too.”

“I guess…” Ruby fidgeted with the strap of her school bag, not meeting either Jaune or Yang’s gaze, “but I thought… I don’t know…” she glanced up at them, “when I graduate, I’d just work with you guys.”

“That’s a long time away, Ruby,” said Yang. “Working with your class would maybe help you… I don’t know… break out of your shell?” Ruby glanced over at her sister, eyes narrowed again.

“Wha…?! What are you saying?! I don’t need to break out of my shell! There isn’t any shell! That is absolutely ridiculous!” Well, that was enough for one day. “I’ll see you after class!” Ruby picked up her pace, walking fast enough that she could get ahead of the other two without using her Quirk.

“Ruby—” As much as she was trying to hide it a small laugh escaped out of Yang’s mouth.

“I have hero class today, I need to be focused!” She wasn’t going to let what Yang and Jaune were saying (even if they were right in the long run). It would just throw her off and make her second guess if she was doing things right.

“Good luck!” Jaune called as Ruby jogged up the stairs.

“Thank you!” Ruby called back, still red-faced from frustration.

* * *

U.A.’s Hero Course curriculum went as such. There were normal classes in the morning, like English (which honestly would’ve put Ruby to sleep if Present Mic hadn’t been teaching it). It was still a high school, so that wasn’t something that Ruby really could get out of having to deal with. After morning classes there was lunch. The food was pretty good, according to Ruby’s sources and own taste buds. The bonus was that all of it was pretty affordable, too.

But in the afternoon. The afternoon was when the magic happened. It was finally time for the students in the hero course to begin what they were there to do in the first place. It was time for them to become heroes. Or at least train to be them.

As 1-A settled back into their seats, Ruby was practically bouncing. It was so hard to contain her excitement. She was buzzing, and sitting still became a challenge. Even more so when the door swung open the moment their instructor arrived.

“I am here. Coming through the door like a hero!” All Might burst through the door, and Ruby’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t stop the wide grin from forming on her face. Excitement started to build, and Ruby was practically bouncing in her seat. She couldn’t sit still. Having the number one hero teacher her class was way too awesome to describe with words.

“I can’t believe it’s really All Might!” said a boy with a black streak in his hair.

“So he  _ is _ a teacher!” said the spiky-haired redheaded boy, “This year is gonna be totally awesome!”

“Hey, look. Is he wearing his Silver Age costume?” brought up the frog girl as All Might made his way to the front of the class.

“I'm getting goosebumps. It's so retro!” added the boy with a tail. Honestly, it just made everything that was going on today a hundred percent cooler in Ruby’s eyes. Getting taught by the number one pro hero was a once in a lifetime chance. She was lucky just to have it.

“Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High,” said All Might and Ruby’s hype only grew. “Think of it as ‘hero-ing 101’. Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro, and what it means to fight in the name of good! Let's get into it.” He held out a single card to them. Printed in large, capital letters was the word BATTLE. Wait, battle? “Today's lesson will pull no punches!”

“Fight training,” Bakugo happily growled.

“Real combat?” squeaked out Midoriya. Ruby had to agree with that. They were getting into combat training already? Maybe it was like the Quirk test they took yesterday. So that their teachers knew what they were capable of? Or something like that… Ruby raised her hand to ask, but was cut off when their teacher spoke up again.

“But one of the keys of being a hero is… looking good!” said All Might, gesturing to the side wall. Several hidden shelves come out of the wall, each holding about five numbered suitcases. At this point, Ruby was having trouble sitting still in her seat again. Those suitcases meant one thing. Costumes. “Get yourselves suited up and then meet me at Training Ground Beta.”

“Yes, sir!” chimed the students of 1-A. Ruby held back the urge to use her Quirk as she rushed over to the case labelled with a bright green 21. She held said case close to her chest as she sped down the hall to the locker rooms.

Before the school year had begun, each student in the hero course was required to send in a list of requests along with their Quirk registration forms to the school. The school then sent them out to support companies that designed and delivered costumes tailored to suit the children’s needs.

Ruby was the first one in the locker room. She quickly opened the case, eyes sparkling at the suit that was now sitting before her. It was just about everything that she dreamt it would be. As the other girls of 1-A entered the room, Ruby quickly began to change.

The speedy girl’s hero costume consisted of a high-collared, form-fitting black jumpsuit, the hems and zipper down the front a bright red. A lack belt hung at her waist, with small silver capsules tucked neatly into small pockets, along with a small silver pouch on her opposite hip. The belt rested on top of a black skirt that flowed and moved easily with anything that Ruby, including the second red layer underneath it. 

Due to the nature of her Quirk, her legs had to be protected at all costs. Therefore, heavy bracing found its place there. Thick, flexible braces were snugly attached to her suit over her knees, with heavy padding on her kneecaps in case of a fall. Even her black boots were braced, everything tightly cinched just below her knee braces with a small belt. Her boots were also heavily raced around the ankle for support. The bright red soles of her boots were heavily armored, with the inner lining of the toes laced with steel. This had all been done to put a little more power behind each kick she made, as well as to protect her legs from any rough landing.

And the final piece of it all was on the one thing that Ruby had looked forward to wearing the most. Her hero costume was topped off by a red, hooded cloak that reached down to her knees. The whole thing was held into place on her shoulders with silver, rose-shaped pins.

Wearing it and looking at herself in the mirror set up in the locker room, Ruby had never felt more like a hero before in her life. This was it. This was official. Today, she finally had begun to take that first step towards being a hero.

It took a nudge from Ochako to snap Ruby out of her costume induced review. Ruby turned to her classmate. Uraraka was already dressed, as were the rest of the girls.

Uraraka’s own hero costume was a black bodysuit with a pale pink stripe down the center, along with two dots on her chest. There was a thick, dark pink choker around her neck and pale spheres that served as wrist guards on her arms. She wore wide, knee-high boots in the same color. A pale pink belt was secure around her waist. To top it all off, the zero gravity girl wore a helmet with a tinted pink visor to protect her face.

“Cool looking costume,” said Ruby, flashing her a thumbs-up. Uraraka smiled at her.

“Thanks, but we’re heading out now.” Ruby blinked. Oh… how long had she been standing there? She chuckled nervously before following Uraraka out of the locker room with the rest of the girls. Now… now it was time to become a hero.

* * *

Ruby was practically bouncing as she and the rest of her class made their way to Ground Beta (which, upon closer examination, Ruby realized was the same area she took her entrance exam) to meet with their teacher. They walked through the tunnel that served as the entrance. Everyone was dressed in their hero costumes, looking so amazing and cool and honestly, the whole thing felt like a dream. It was going to take a while to get used to it all.

“They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof,” said All Might as the class walked out of the tunnel. He was standing besides two, long pillars: one black and the other white. There was a box perched on top of one of them. “Take this to heart. From now on, you are all heroes in training.” Ruby’s face lit up. A hero. She was officially training to be a hero! “Now. Shall we get started, you buncha newbies?”

Ruby heard a series of heavy footsteps rushing to catch up with 1-A.

“Hey, Deku!” said Uraraka, turning back towards the entrance. Ruby turned with her. Midoriya had lagged behind the rest of the class, and only now was coming out of the grounds’ entrance. Ruby stared at him.

The boy was dressed in a bright teal, full-body jumpsuit. A red belt was cinched around his waist. There were pads on his knees and elbows, and gloves on his hands. He wore his bright red high-tops that he wore with his regular school uniform. The boy’s mask had long, earlike additions, reminding Ruby vaguely of a rabbit. There was a respirator on his face as well and with the way it looked, it made him look like he was smiling. Compared to the rest of the class, his seemed really simple.

“Uraraka! Rose!” Ruby could’ve sworn she saw Midoriya’s face turn some shade of red upon seeing Uraraka in her hero costume. She hid a giggle behind her hand.

“Love your costume. Nothing too flashy, ya know?” said Uraraka before adjusting her visor. “I should've been more specific about what I wanted. This bodysuit is skin tight. Not really my style.”

“No, I think you look great!” Ruby giggled again.

“You’re one to talk. Your costume is so bright! I wish mine was like that,” said Ruby, smoothing out her skirt. Just about all of it was black. “Guess I should’ve picked the colors myself.” She had just asked that it compliment the colors of her cloak, which had to be red. That was part of the request.

“I think you look fine. Kind of like a fairy tale hero!” said Ochako. “Especially with that cloak.”

“Thanks. This was the one piece that I wanted more than anything.” Ruby has insisted multiple times in her request the support company that designed the student’s costumes that she wanted it, no matter how impractical it seemed to be. Even if it would be bad for her overall speed and wind resistance, the cloak was a must for one reason and one reason only.

“You look a lot like one hero with it on. Though I think hers was white on the outside,” said Midoriya, still averting his gaze away from Uraraka and looking particularly grateful that he had something else to focus on. “What was her name… Oh yeah. Ms. Moonlight!” Ruby nodded.

“Yeah… I get a lot of inspiration from her…” She curled her hands around the edges of the cloak before bringing it closer to her. While the rest of the world knew her as Ms. Moonlight, Ruby called her something else.  _ Mom _ .

“Now that you're ready,” said All Might, drawing the class’s attention towards him, “it's time for combat training.”

“Sir!” Out of the group of students, one boy dressed head to toe in white armor raised his hand. Wait, was that Iida under there? “This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean we'll conducting urban battles again?” ...yeah, that was Iida.

“Not quite. I'm going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors,” All Might explained. “Think about it. Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into two teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles.”

Indoor battles?

“Isn't that a little advanced?” asked the frog-like girl, taking the words right out of Ruby’s mouth.

“The best training is what you get on the battlefield! But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now.” Right… they had to be careful… Ruby couldn’t go ballistic like she had done during the practicals. But with that question answered, a million more came.

“Sir, will you be deciding who wins?” asked a ponytailed girl in a very low cut red, sleeveless bodysuit (not even Yang’s first hero costume was that revealing…).

“How much can we hurt the other team?” said Bakugo with a dark glint in his eye.

“Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?” Uraraka said.

“Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?” asked Iida.

“Isn't this cape tre chic?” brought up another student in glittering armor.

“I wasn't finished talking!” The class fell quiet as their teacher reached back behind him, pulling out what looked like a script from Ruby’s perspective. “Listen up. The situation is this. The villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes.

“Time's limited,” said All Might, putting his notes away and exchanging it for the small box on the pillar next to him, “and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!”

“Isn't there a better way?” asked Iida.

“Think about it!” said Midoriya before their teacher could answer. “Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot, so maybe that's the reason we’re seeing that here.” Iida slowly nodded.

“Yes, I see. Life is a random series of events.” He turned back to their teacher. “Excuse my rudeness.”

“No sweat. Let’s draw!”

One by one, the members of Class 1-A lined up in order of their student numbers. Each withdrew a lot from the box, a letter written on each. Whomever had the letter that matched the one they drew was their partner. As the twenty-first student in 1-A, Ruby was at the back of the line. She looked around at her classmates. She knew a few of them… hopefully she would get to work with one of them. Midoriya or Uraraka would be ideal. Maybe Iida?

Unfortunately, she watched as Midoriya and Uraraka were paired with each other, and as Iida was stuck with Bakugo. Okay… it looked like Ruby was going to end up eating Jaune and Yang words about working together with her class and getting to know them after all.

At last her turn came, and Ruby reached into the box. She felt nothing. Her legs locked up as her hand scrambled around to get a hold of anything. Maybe the last bit was just stuck! But still… she felt nothing but the box. Ruby took a peek inside. There was nothing left in there but air. Something heavy started to form in her throat. No, this wasn’t possible.

She wasn’t sure if it was good or bad luck that her little problem didn’t go unnoticed.

“Something wrong?” All Might asked, and Ruby felt a heavy lump form in her throat. How exactly was she supposed to explain this? Was it a mistake? Was it on purpose? Was she going to have to sit out?

“I uh…” Ruby swallowed down that thing in her throat. “There’s none left.” With her, there was an uneven amount of students in their class. Even if they were divided into teams of three, there would still be a team that would have to sit out or at least go twice. Did they even have time for that…?

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught sight of someone raising their hand high in the air.

“Sir! We’ll take her on our team.” Attention fell on the armoured Tenya Iida as he lowered his hand. “Her Quirk is fairly similar to mine. While the opposite team may be outnumbered, they won’t be put at a disadvantage if they’re facing the same power.” All Might hummed, mulling over Iida’s request.

“Young Bakugo,” he said, turning towards Iida’s partner, “what do you say?” Bakugo took one look at Ruby before his eyes narrowed into a glare. He simply huffed as his response, letting out a “tch” in her direction. Ruby sighed. Okay, maybe he was still mad about their encounter yesterday...

“I’ll take that as a yes.” With a small grin, Ruby rushed over to where Iida and Bakugo were standing. 

“Thank you so much!” she said, containing her relief as much as she could. If he hadn’t spoken up, then Ruby might’ve just had to sit out on their first round of hero training. All Iida did was nod in her general direction. And with that mess taken care off, their training could finally begin. All Might cleared his throat, calling back the attention of the class.

“I declare that the first teams to fight will be…” All Might withdrew a ball from each pillar, both displaying a different letter, “these guys!” From the black, he had chosen D. From the white, it was A. “Team A will be the heroes. Team D will be the villains.” Team D… Ruby glanced over at Iida and Bakugo. That was them, right? “Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch.”

“Yes, sir!” chimed the rest of the class. The students split, with the two teams following All Might to the building they were being tested in while the rest went to another monitoring room. They were oddly quiet as they received supplies to help them out on their little mission — a roll of capture tape similar to Mr. Aizawa’s scarf (which Iida had given to Ruby to hold) and a pair of two-way earpieces for communication between team members. Due to the unseen amount of people on team D, Ruby did not receive one of these.

“Bad guys, you can go in and get setup,” instructed All Might after everything was all handed out. “In five minutes, the good guys will be let loose and the battle will start!”

“Yes, sir!” chimed the two teams that had been chosen, with the exception of Bakugo. He was still glaring at Midoriya. The villain team went to answer, only stopped by All Might before they could.

“Young Iida, Young Bakugo, Ru— Young Rose.” Ruby stared at her teacher. Wait, was he just about to say her first name? She shook her head, brushing it off as a mistake. “The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer.”

“Got it!” said Ruby with a nod.

“If things go too far, I’ll step in.”

“Understood,” said Iida. And with that final bit of instruction, team D made their way inside of the building to begin their first round of hero basic training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we get up to the mock battles next chapter! Unfortunately, Ruby doesn't get to witness the main event of Deku v. Kacchan. Sorry! But I promise some nice Iida-Ruby interactions to fill that hole!
> 
> Next time!
> 
> Chapter Six: Trial By Combat!
> 
> Fighting friends is harder than it looks.
> 
> Go beyond! Plus Ultra!


	6. Trial By Combat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mock battle begins. Ruby tries to take her sister's advice to heart and makes an attempt to befriend Iida.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, this chapter was originally supposed to be part of the previous one. But, I found it to be too long then, so I split it. There are also a bunch of little bits and pieces that I picked up on while watching the anime to get a feel for this arc while writing it. Such as Iida's interaction with Ochako at the end. He's a good boy.  
> There was also something else that I picked up on involving Bakugo, but that will be addressed next chapter.
> 
> I don't think any warnings apply here aside from Ochako's nausea. All that I have to say is that this chapter contains the mock battle, as well as some nice Ruby and Iida fluff. Enjoy!

Team D made their way to the top most floor of the building in a very, very uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable for Ruby. It didn’t seem to bother Iida or Bakugo that much. Though Ruby felt like the latter was burning holes in the back of her head the whole way up there.

They entered the large spacious room that served as their hideout. It was more brightly lit than the rest of the building, especially with the windows and the glass ceiling letting in sunlight. In the middle of the room was a large missile waiting for the team, along with a few objects scattered about.

“Even though this is training,” said Iida as he strode into the room, Ruby and Bakugo following shortly after him, “it pains me to be aligned with criminal behavior. “ Ruby nodded in agreement.

“I get that,” she said with a short hum. “It’s really weird to play the villain, huh?” She didn’t know Iida as well as she probably should, and getting along with Bakugo was off of the table since… since well, yesterday’s incident that Ruby really hoped that he had forgotten about. That just left her fellow speedster to get to know better.

It was like Jaune and Yang told her that morning… she was going to be working with these guys for the next three years. It would be helpful to get close to them so they could work better together… not like Ruby would ever tell them that she ended up following their advice. But unfortunately for Ruby, Iida didn’t listen to her when she just spoke.

“So, this is the weapon we must protect,” he said instead, walking up towards the weapon. He tapped his knuckles gently upon it. There was an echo. “Fake, of course.”

“Yeah, I don’t think they would let a real weapon onto school grounds, so…” Iida only hummed. Well… at least she got a response this time. A hum was better than silence.

“Hey!” barked Bakugo. Iida hummed again, turning towards his teammate. Ruby went rigid. He did not look happy about something. And if yesterday said anything, she could probably guess why. “Do you really think Deku has a Quirk?”

“You saw how he threw that ball,” said Iida. “Though I think his power hurts his body…” Bakugo only clicked his tongue in response. Iida and Ruby exchanged looks with each other. “Why is it that you seem to be especially angry when it comes to Midoriya?” Bakugo didn’t answer his question. If anything, Iida saying that only seemed to make him even angrier.

“ _ Alright! Let’s begin the indoor combat training! _ ” Ruby heard All Might say over the loudspeaker system that was set up in the building. “ _ Team A and Team D, your time starts now! _ ” As soon as that signal was given, Bakugo marched towards the door.

“Hey, Bakugo, wait!” said Ruby, trying to stop him from leaving. Bakugo was out of her reach and definitely wasn’t listening to what she had asked him to do.

“Stay here. Guard the weapon,” Bakugo glared back at her, red eyes burning with anger. “Deku is  _ mine _ .”

“But we’re supposed to work together! We need a plan—!”

“Whatever, Crater Face!” And with that stinging note, Bakugo stormed out of the room. There was a lingering silence left behind. Great… It looked like Bakugo  _ didn’t _ forget about that little incident yesterday.

“Crater…?” Ruby heard Iida mutter just loud enough for her to catch. She nodded.

“It’s a long story…” And one that she really did not want to tell today. Ruby sighed, turning to her remaining teammate. “So, uh… as I was saying, we need a plan, right?” To her relief, Iida nodded.

“I was planning on asking Bakugo about Midoriya’s Quirk, since they are childhood friends.” Right… Midoriya did mention that yesterday on their walk to the station… Iida cast a glare at the doorway. “However…”

“Oh! I can help!” Iida glanced over at her. Okay, maybe that needed some explanation... “I asked Midoriya about his Quirk when we first met.” Iida blinked.

“You did?” Ruby nodded. For once, she was glad that she had her weird interest. And that she had used her love of heroes to get Midoriya to open up to her. Uraraka, too.

“Midoriya didn’t tell me much, just that it’s a boost in strength and power, but he can’t control it yet. His limbs break when he does,” Ruby said, doing her best to explain what she had been told. “And I asked about Uraraka’s yesterday after Mr. Aizawa’s test. She can make things float if she touches them.” Now that the ball was rolling, she couldn’t quite stop it. “And you have those engines in your legs that make you go faster. Kind of like Ingenium’s Quirk! Except his are in his arms.”

“Uh… y… yes…” Iida stood there, looking down at the ground. Had she said something wrong? Maybe talking about heroes with Iida wasn’t the best course of action… Iida shook his head, returning to the task at hand. “When down to the basics, your own power is of the same type. Your speed.”

“Yeah! I guess the basics between us are a lot alike,” said Ruby. “It’s like you said earlier, we may outnumber them, but we don’t really have an advantage. We both go really fast! We can be… speed… buddies?” Iida stared at her. Now that she said it out loud... “Sorry, I just realized how dumb that sounds.”

“Er, no. You’re fine.” It didn’t sound like it. The girl sighed.

“Sorry, I’m just… not really good at making friends,” Ruby said, tugging at her cloak and kicking the ground. “All of my friends are my sister’s, and they’re all older than me. I’ve never had to make any on my own. Or work with people that I don’t know well. This is all sort of… new to me.” She looked up. Iida was moving some of the trash scattered around the room into a small corner of the room. “So, um… what are you doing?”

“I’ll explain later,” he said. He waved Ruby over. “Lend me a hand with hiding these, would you?”

“Uh, yeah! Of course!” Ruby made her way to his side, helping her teammate with.. cleaning up the mess? Was Iida that much of a neat freak? He seemed like the type to be… Whatever the case was, Ruby and Iida went about their task with ease, with the latter picking up a few of the heavier objects in the room before Ruby could.

He also served as the one to break the silence, and that had only happened once the pair were starting to finish up with their impromptu cleaning duty.

“Be careful if you have to use your Quirk,” said Iida to Ruby as she shoved the last bit of trash out of sight. “A side effect of using it is you create rose petals, correct? You left them all over the yard during Mr. Aizawa’s test.”

“Yeah, I think it’s genetic,” said Ruby, trying to think of the explanation she had been given as a kid. “My mom did the same thing when she used her Quirk.” White-red rose petals were often a sign that her mother had been present during a fight. And hadn't been seen for almost eleven years now. Iida hummed in response.

“Just be careful. I know that you know about Uraraka’s Quirk — anything she touches floats,” he said. “I’m not sure what she’d be able to do with them, but it’s better to be cautious now then later.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” said Ruby, giving Iida a mock salute. Something popped into her mind as she lowered her hand. “Wait, is that why we’re hiding everything?” Iida nodded again. He pressed his finger to the side of his helmet, right over his ear.

”Bakugo, come in. Give me a status report. Where are you?” There was a beat as Ruby was left only on one side of the conversation. “...Are you forgetting what our mission is? Hello? He hung up on me! This isn’t the time for radio silence! We’re supposed to be partners.” Iida groaned loudly in frustration.

“I’m guessing Bakugo isn’t answering, huh?” Ruby asked, unsure what else to say.

“No, he is. Just not listening.” Iida let out a heavy sigh. For some reason, Ruby was not surprised.

“He’s uh…” she gave a dry laugh as she shoved a box in front of the whole mess to hide it better from view, “really getting into this, isn’t he?” She heard Iida hum.

“Bakugo definitely has a villainous side. And that’s exactly what we need to succeed in this mission. We need to temporarily devote ourselves to criminal intent.” Ruby, finally getting the last bit of mess packed away, walked back over to Iida with a brow raised.

“Become villains… to be heroes?” Iida nodded. It still made less sense saying it out loud.

“Yes, exactly! I won’t fail this trial and risk bringing shame to the Iida family name. That means… we must now embrace evil…” From under his helmet, Iida’s eyes narrowed. Ruby wondered if he was putting on some sort of face. 

“Behold! I am the personification of villainy!” Iida cackled, much like a stereotypical villain on TV would. Ruby burst into a fit of laughter, doing her best to hide her amusement. That voice he had put on… it was just too funny!

Ruby stopped laughing when she heard someone laugh with her. And it wasn’t Iida. It was coming from behind one of the pillars in the room. Both she and Iida stared at the direction the noise had come from.

“Uraraka, is that you?” said Iida, still keeping up his villain voice. The giggle cut itself off with a gasp. There was a moment before Ochako Uraraka stepped out from behind the pillar, looking a bit nervous with her hands raised. Despite this, Iida kept going. “I knew you would come here alone the instant that Bakugo ran off by himself and engaged with Midoriya. Your Quirk allows you to float anything that you touch, but we’ve prepared for that. By hiding every object in this room so you have nothing to us against us, do-gooder! Our dastardly tricks have rendered you helpless! You’ve blundered, hero!” Iida let out another bout of ‘villainous’ laughter. Ruby snickered once more.

_ He’s really getting into this, isn’t he?  _ Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught sight of Iida inching back a little while Uraraka used her radio to get in contact with Midoriya.

“Iida?” Ruby said, keeping her voice low enough so that it only drew her teammate’s attention.

“I don’t want to get rough with her but…!” Iida muttered to his partner. He didn’t need to say more. They may have been pretending as villains, but that didn’t mean they wanted to act as one. Especially when that involved potentially hurting their classmates.

Before Ruby could give a response, the ground beneath their feet suddenly shook. All three students gave a yelp. The girls lost their footing, stumbling and dropping to the floor. Iida quickly pulled Ruby back on her feet, going for the radio in his helmet.

“Bakugo! Answer me!” said Iida in a harsh whisper, “What is going on down there? Did you cause that blast?” Iida probably would never get his answer. Uraraka started sprinting towards the two.

“Iida!” Ruby cried out. Iida sharply gasped as Ochako rushed the both of them. Both of the fake villains ran towards their opponent.

“Not so fast, hero!” said Iida in his faux villain voice once more. Ochako didn't respond. All she did was press the tips of her fingers to the palms of her hands. Wait… Ruby came to a screeching halt as Uraraka rose above them. “Since when can she make herself float?!”

The round-faced girl floated closer and closer to the weapon, a victorious smirk on her face. Uraraka pressed her fingertips together.

“Release!” she called out. She began to descend towards the weapon. Iida acted quickly. He activated his engines and shot forward. He grabbed the weapon, pulling it out of Uraraka’s reach before she had the chance to get near it. Uraraka hit the ground, rolling across the floor. Ruby winced as she slammed up against the wall on the other side of the room.

“Uraraka!” she cried out. “Are you okay?!”

“Er…” Uraraka groaned, rubbing at the back of her head, “Y-Yeah?” Ruby bit back a small sigh. This may have been training, but still… ouch.

“It was an admirable attempt, but your Quirk’s no threat if you can’t touch anything!” said Iida, putting on his villainous voice once again and putting a hand firmly on the weapon. “We can easily keep this weapon out of your reach until time runs out.” He cackled again. Ruby smirked as Uraraka rolled over, getting onto all fours and reaching for her radio. Ruby glanced over at her teammate.

“How long do you think we have left?” she asked.

“Perhaps a few minutes,” Iida replied. Ruby could just about see the gears in his mind going to work. “If we switch off back and forth, we can keep the weapon away from her easily.”

“I don’t think I’m strong enough to carry that…” There was a brief moment of silence as Iida readjusted the plan in his head.

“Then distract her and leave the rest to… me… Huh?” Ruby and Iida started at their opponent. Uraraka had latched onto the pillar closest to her. Before Ruby could think about why she had just done that, that whole building shook with a familiar feeling. Bakugo had set off another explosion. Only this time, the crew on the higher levels didn’t go unaffected by it.

The explosion’s destructive force had been directed upwards. It destroyed the floor space separating the hero from the villain team. Debris rose high into the air, dust getting everywhere. Iida grabbed the weapon to hold himself in place. Ruby, with an arm shielding her eyes, dropped to the ground in her own attempt to keep herself from being blown back.

“What’s happening?!” Iida shouted. Ruby wasn’t quite sure how to answer. She kept her mouth shut as the pillar Uraraka had been clinging to came detached from the ground. She lifted it with little effort with the help of her Quirk.

“Sorry, guys!” Ruby heard Uraraka shout. “Improvised special move: the Comet Home Run!” The zero gravity user swug the pillar like a baseball bat. The swing redirected the flow of the explosion’s force, sending debris right towards Ruby and Iida.

“In the name of villainy, I demand that you stop this!” Iida’s voice cracked as he threw up his arms, bearing the brunt of the attack. Not armored like he was, Ruby dashed off to the side and out of the way of any possible injury.

With the pair occupied, Ochako was given an opportunity. She ran and leapt over the hole that Bakugo made, touching her own palms. She was using her Quirk to float across. By the time both Ruby and Iida realized this, it had been too late.

“Release!” Uraraka called out, pressing her fingertips together. She dropped down on the weapon, wrapping her arms and legs around it. The girl let out a sigh, and Ruby’s eyes widened. “I got it!”

“No! The weapon!” cried Iida. It was too late.

“ _ Your indoor combat training is over _ ,” All Might’s voice rang over a loudspeaker nearby. “ _ The hero team… wins! _ ” As soon as that announcement was made, Uraraka released a heavy sigh. That sigh quickly turned into a groan as she slid down the weapon and onto the floor. She curled up into a ball, with her hands wound around her stomach.

“Uraraka!” cried out Ruby as she scrambled up to her feet. She and Iida both rushed over to her classmate’s side.

“Are you okay?!” Iida asked, removing his helmet. He crouched down beside Ochako as she doubled over on the floor. The girl started to retch, dry-heaving and gagging on nothing. “Uraraka, are you alright?!” Ochako shakily nodded.

“If I use my Quirk too much…” she retched again, coughing, “...it makes me really sick…” Ruby dropped to her knees, holding back her classmate’s hair as Ochako finally gave into her nausea.

* * *

It wasn’t until All Might had come to retrieve them that the students made their way back to the monitoring room with their teacher. It was also only then that Ruby learned what had happened between Bakugo and Midoriya when she saw that the latter was not with them. Those quakes and explosions were Bakugo’s doing, having launched heavy hitting attacks to bring Midoriya down.

Ironically, though, that wasn’t why Midoriya wasn’t there. He had directed the explosion that allowed his team to win with the force of his Quirk. Combined with his injuries from Bakugo as well as the backlash on his power… well, needless to say he wasn’t in the best state. He had been taken to the nurse’s office to have his wounds taken care of while the rest returned to class.

Eyes were focused on the four when they entered the monitoring room. And few members of the class stepped away, eyes wary on Bakugo. ...Just what exactly had happened during his fight with Midoriya to warrant that?

“Well, despite the results,” said All Might, as he stepped back up to the series of monitors that displayed the (now ruined) building, “the MVP of this exercise is Young Iida!” Several students gasped at this. Even Iida himself seems to be astonished. Ruby looked between her teammates and her teacher. What?!

“Shouldn’t it be one of the heroes instead, since they’re the winners?” asked the frog-like girl.

“Valid question,” said All Might. “Why didn’t I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?” Only one student raised their hand.

“Sir! I can tell you why!” the girl with the spikey-black ponytail said as she raised her hand up high. She didn’t even wait for All Might to give the okay before giving her answer. “Iida embraced this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I’ll explain. Bakugo’s judgement was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large-scale attack indoors was a foolish move. It could have been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya’s plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage that he received. He rendered himself helpless. Not smart.”

Bakugo said nothing. That was… strange. Shouldn’t the boy be having some explosive reaction? He didn’t even give the usual “tch” he gave Ruby.

“As for Uraraka…” the girl continued, turning to the next person in her lineup. “She let her guard down mid-battle, and her final attack was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she treated the fake weapon as though it were real, she never would have risked using such an imprecise move.” Ochako groaned, a hand over her mouth and her eyes on the ground. And that left one person…

“Finally, where as Bakugo took the villainous role too seriously, Rose didn’t take it seriously enough. Unlike a villain, she showed concern for her opponent and acted on instinct alone. She never once had thought out any of her actions, allowing her partner to make most of the decisions. Overall, she hesitated multiple times and took nothing seriously.”

Ruby held back a groan of her own. It wasn’t her fault. Being a villain, even if it was just pretend, was harder than it looked. Especially when one had the conviction of a hero… and just wanted to make sure that her friend was okay. Really, villains do that, too! At least Ruby thought that they would.

“Iida was fully prepared for his opponent’s arrival,” her classmate said, finishing up her analysis. “He had a strategy, and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end.” Iida widely grinned, proud of himself for his actions. “Technically, the hero team won, yes, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They didn’t respect the spirit of the trial.”

There was a heavy moment of silence as the girl’s words sunk in.

“...Yes, well… you overlooked a few things,” said All Might after clearing his throat, “Young Iida could have relaxed a little bit in the exercise, but… otherwise, you nailed it!”

“One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That’s the only real way to become a top hero!” The girl seemed too proud of herself. Ruby sighed, fidgeting with the hem of her cloak. ...She was right, and it kind of stung.

“Now then. Time to blow this joint. Let’s move onto the next match! Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training for yourself.”

“Yes, sir!” chimed the class, excluding the four whose match had just concluded. The next teams were dispatched, and the lesson continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really much to say here, but Ruby's inability to fight her classmates will become a problem later on. Not now, but probably during the Sports Festival. But hey! We made it through the halfway point for this fic! All that's left is the final chapter of the battle trial and then we can get to the finale that is the USJ arc! I'm so excited for that one. Dunno why. I just am.
> 
> Next time!
> 
> Chapter Seven: The First Step
> 
> You guys are about to find out why this fic is tagged with "Protective Class 1-A".
> 
> Go beyond! Plus Ultra!


	7. The First Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class 1-A has a small amount of time to bond and get to know each other. This is only the first step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter contains overwhelming amount of fluff, and explanation as to why I tagged this fic with "protective" and "supportive Class 1-A" and Bakugo being... well, not really being Bakugo, but processing things in his Bakugo way. I'll explain it at the end of the chapter.
> 
> But yeah. Final chapter of the Battle Trial arc, and then we finally get to the USJ arc, which I'm strangely excited for. I hope you all enjoy!

Ruby watched the rest of her class’s mock battles intently. The team after her own went almost as hard, minus the actual combat part. And Ruby got an answer to where the snow had come from during the explosion on the first day. The half-and-half boy had been the cause of it. She picked up his name and Quirk fairly easily after seeing him freeze and melt the building so easily. Shouto Todoroki — making ice with his right side and heat with his left.

Todoroki… that name though… Why'd it sound so familiar…?

Ruby didn’t think much of it as the rest of the matches went on. Wow, the class really didn’t pull their punches. She guessed that her group set a pretty high standard… especially concerning Bakugo and Midoriya. But at least no one else got injured. The students were careful about that.

Soon, all the teams had finished up with an even amount of victories on both sides. Their first hero lesson came to an end. By the time it was done, Ruby had discovered a majority of her classmates’ names as well as their Quirks. Everyone was so strong…! All Might sharply blew a whistle as the class followed him out of the monitoring room. Ruby flinched at the sudden loud noise.

“That’s a wrap! Super work,” said the number one hero as Class 1-A gathered around him at the training grounds’ entrance. “You really stepped up to the plate. And we didn’t have any major injuries, except for Midoriya. You should be proud. Excellent first day of training, all around!”

“It’s nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class,” said the frog-like girl, whose name that Ruby now knew was Tsuyu Asui. “Mr. Aizawa was kind of a buzzkill.” And she couldn’t be more right.

“I’m happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma mater!” said All Might. He started to inch towards the training grounds’ exit. “That’s all for now, folks. I should go and check on Young Midoriya’s progress! Now, watch how a pro exits. Like he’s got somewhere to be!” And with that final note, All Might took off down the exit, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

“Okay guys,” said one of the members of 1-A as he successfully broke the lingering silence, “that is a hero!”

“Aw, I’ll never be able to run that fast…” said a second.

“I  _ wish _ I could run that fast,” Ruby muttered under her breath as the class quickly made their way to the locker rooms to change out of their hero costumes. Unlike yesterday, the girls’ locker room wasn’t as quiet. Now that they had a small chance to get to know each other through combat, there was actually quite a bit of chatter. Good. At least it wasn’t awkwardly quiet anymore.

Ruby grabbed her jacket from her locker as she finished dressing. This time, she got her tie on just right. Practicing last night helped a bit. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. She had just slid her jacket on when she caught sight of Ochako in the corner of her eye. The zero gravity girl was just about finished too, putting her tie around her neck. She looked better than she did earlier. There was a bit more color to her cheeks that wasn’t some shade of green.

“Hey, Uraraka,” said Ruby, sliding up to her classmate. She had to make sure for herself. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks,” said Uraraka as she finished up with her tie. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.” 

“Anyone would get worried if their friend suddenly dropped like that.” Ruby paused as soon as that left her mouth. Friend? Had she just called Uraraka her friend? Were they friends? So quickly?!

“Ruby? Ruby?” Ochako waved her hand in front of Ruby’s face. “Are you still in there?” Ruby’s daze caught the attention of the other girls. Kyoka Jirou, a girl with earphone jacks dangling from her earlobes, stepped up and snapped her fingers in front of Ruby’s face.

“Rose,” she said as she did so. When that didn’t work, the girl jammed a jack into Ruby’s arm. It felt like a sudden shockwave had punched her, high-pitched and loud. Ruby let out a yelp as Jirou withdrew her earphone jack.

“Yeah, I’m okay! Just thinkin’ about some stuff,” said Ruby quickly as she rubbed where Jioru had just jabbed. Friends. She and Ochako were… hold up. She turned to Uraraka. “Wait, did you just call me Ruby?” There was a moment before Uraraka’s face turned pink.

“Oh no, I just called you by your first name, didn’t I?” she asked. Ruby nodded, and the other girl sighed. “Sorry.” Ruby shook her head.

“No, it’s okay.” In all honesty, she hadn’t minded it that much. She had been doing the same anyway… at least in her head for the most part, flipping back and forth between Ochako’s given and last names. “You can call me Ruby, but only if I get to call you Ochako!”

“Deal!” Ochako shut her locker, pulling on her jacket and gathering the rest of her things. “But really, I didn’t want to scare you like that.”

“It’s fine.” Ruby sighed, picking up the numbered case that held her hero costume. “Midoriya really scared me, though. You think he’s okay?”

“I trust that he will be,” said the spiky-ponytail girl who had ground into the pair following their battle, Momo Yaoyorozu. She gave the other girls a subtle glance as she went about picking up her own costume case. “Recovery Girl’s Quirk will heal his injuries. He’ll be back in class in no time.”

“Right.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about him, Ruby,” added Asui as she hopped up next to her. “Midoriya’s one of the strongest in the class. He went through all afternoon with a broken finger yesterday. If he can handle that, he can handle a broken arm.”

“Thanks, Asui,” said Ruby with a sigh.

“You can call me Tsu.”

“Okay then.” Ruby nodded. “Tsu!”

* * *

If Ruby didn’t learn her classmates’ names during their mock battles, then she definitely would have picked them up that afternoon. While a few hadn’t stuck around, a majority of 1-A stayed behind to help clean the classroom, as well as go over training results while waiting for Midoriya to be released from the nurse’s custody.

Ruby found herself falling easily into conversation when the topic turned to their combat practice earlier that day. Everyone exchanged their thoughts on their own fights, with others lending in small notes of what they could’ve done better. Ruby had a few decent ones herself, though that had been mostly about the application of her classmates’ Quirks. And to her surprise, no one thought that it was weird when she complimented them on their abilities or what they could do in combat.

Maybe making friends was a lot easier than she thought it was going to be. She just had to be herself. The sun had started to sink into the sky when the topic of conversation turned.

“We’ve been going over our own fights, but anyone have a favorite?” asked Eijirou Kirishima, a boy with spiky red hair who could turn his skin as hard as stone. “Ya know, that’s  _ not _ theirs?” There was a moment of silence as the class thought about the question.

“Todoroki didn’t hold back at all,” said Hanta Sero, a boy who could shoot out tape from his elbows, leaning back against his desk. “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that kind of attack.”

“What about Tokoyami and Tsu?” said Mina Ashido, a completely pink girl with the exception of her horns and raccoon-like eyes who was able to secrete acid from her skin. She turned to the two students in question. “You guys worked together so easily! Unlike us.”

“We did just fine, thank you,” said Yuga Aoyama, the boy from the Quirk test yesterday with the belly button laser. He had been Ashido’s partner during the training exercise earlier that day.

“You’re still mad about the acid, don’t deny it!” Aoyama said nothing. Ruby bit back a giggle, thinking back to their match; some of Ashido’s acid had dripped onto Aoyama’s costume. To say he was not happy about it was a bit of an understatement.

“I think the fight between Bakugo and Midoriya takes the cake, though,” said Rikido Sato, a boy who Ruby thought had one of the best Quirks in existence. “They pretty much gave it their all.”

“What about you, Ruby?” asked Ochako, turning to the girl herself. “You have a favorite?” Ruby thought about it, going through all of the battles in her head. Everyone was different, and everyone had something great about the way that they fought and used their Quirks.

“I’m not sure,” she said after a moment. “Everybody did so great during their mock battles! It’s hard to pick just one.”

“You did pretty good during your fight, too,” said Tsuyu. To that, Ruby only sighed.

“Could’ve done a lot better.” For one, she could’ve acted more like a villain and less like… well, like herself.

“I have to agree,” said the bird-headed boy who had been partnered with Tsu, Fumikage Tokoyami. “Yaoyorozu was right when she said you didn’t act like the villain you were supposed to be.”

“I know! Don’t remind me.” Ruby sighed again, leaning back against her desk and crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s hard. Especially when I have to fight my friends. I want to be a hero, not a villain.”

“We all do, that’s why we’re here,” said Iida, more so focusing on straightening up the classroom rather than taking part in the conversation. “But sometimes, you have to think like your opponent in order to understand them. To counteract their moves efficiently.” Ruby nodded. No wonder he was their MVP...

“If you don’t mind me asking, Rose,” said Mashirao Ojiro, whose Quirk was his tail, “but why did you have trouble during the exercise?”

“Even if it’s fake, it wasn’t that hard. We were just training,” added Sero with a shrug. He cast a glance over at Bakugo, who was brooding at his desk. “Even if some of us did go overboard.” It took the girl a second to answer.

“I guess… I never saw myself as the villain type. Or even thinking like one,” Ruby replied. Looking in the mirror, that was never what Ruby saw. A fond grin grew on her face. “I always wanted to be a hero. My sister used to read to me every night before bed. Stories about heroes fighting monsters and saving the day. It’s one of the reasons that I want to be a hero, too!” She heard Denki Kaminari, a boy with shocking yellow hair and a tell-tale black streak whose Quirk allowed him to generate electricity, laugh under his breath.

“You want to live happily ever after?” he asked her. Ruby nodded.

“That’s what I’m hoping we all get to do.” It was her one wish. “As a kid, I wanted to be just like heroes in books or on TV. Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn’t protect themselves!”

“That’s rather ambitious,” commented Iida as he passed by the group. He was slowing down, taking his time with his chores. If he wanted to listen and take part, he could just say so.

“Kind of lame,” added Minoru Mineta, the shortest member of 1-A whose balls on top of his head allowed him to stick to anything.

“But it’s true,” said Ruby with a grin. “That’s what heroes do!” Apparently, not everyone in the class thought the same about that last thing.

“Life isn’t the same as some fairy tale,” said Todoroki, about as cold and as harsh as the ice he could make. He picked up his things, sliding his bag over his shoulder. He made his way towards the door. Ruby stared at him. He wasn’t wrong but...

“Well, isn’t that why we’re here? To make it a better place so that it’s like one.” Todoroki paused in the doorway. He glanced back at her, not saying anything. He left shortly after that, silent as he was when he arrived back in the classroom after training that day.

“I guess not everyone thinks like you,” said Tsuyu. Ruby shrugged. It was kind of sad that he said that, but it was something that she was used to hearing. Mostly from the interns she had talked with at the agency her dad ran.

“I like it, though,” said Kirishima, leaning back on his desk. “It’s nice to have a goal to work towards.”

“Thanks!” Ruby replied, her grin relaxed.

“Tch.” That single sound wiped it away. Bakugo grabbed his bag from the side of his desk and threw it over his shoulder. “Pathetic.”

“What? Come on, dude, don’t sulk,” said Kirishima, watching as Bakugo made his way towards the door. “Not like you have a better reason.” Bakugo said nothing. Oh no… Ruby pushed off of her desk, jogging up to him.

“Hey, Bakugo! Wait!” She put her hand on her shoulder to stop him from going any further. It worked, but at the cost of a sharp glare in her direction.

“Get off of me,” said Bakugo through clenched teeth.

“It’s just a question. But, why  _ do  _ you want to be a hero?” If he was so reactive and well, explosive… and violent—

“I said, get the hell off of me!” Without much warning, Bakugo roughly shoved Ruby back. She stumbled, but at least he got his wish. Ruby looked up at him.

“Bakugo…” He wasn’t like this earlier. Okay, maybe they hadn't gotten off on the best foot, and maybe their personalities seemed to clash, but he never actually laid a hand on her. Not even yesterday. He had just grabbed her shirt. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being—?”

“What’s wrong with me?! There’s nothing wrong with me!” Bakugo turned, narrowed gaze focused on the girl in front of him. “If anythin’, there’s something wrong with you!” Ruby took a step back as sparks began to erupt on the palms of the boy’s hands.

“What did I do?!” Ruby asked, trying to make sense of Bakugo’s sudden anger. He had seemed so calm after the mock battles, where was all this coming from?!

“Besides make me blow myself up?!” Tension took over her body.

“That was an accident!” While he hadn't forgotten about yesterday's incident, Ruby had really hoped at the very least he had forgiven her for it. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. “I promise it was!”

“Whoa, Bakugo,” said Sero, standing up and in front of Ruby, “calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm the hell down!” shouted Bakugo. “You all said it yourselves, she hasn’t done a damn thing right since coming here!” Ochako was the next one to stand

“We didn’t say anything like that,” she said, striding up until she was standing next to Sero.

“She’s just a kid!” Bakugo spat out, throwing his arm out to gesture at the girl. Ruby tried to make herself look smaller. It didn’t help.

“So are you,” said Kirishima, quickly standing up and standing between Ruby and Bakugo alongside the other two. “We’re all the same age.”

“Does it matter? I’ve studied and trained to get in, you—" He turned on Ruby again— "just got in on pure luck! Congrats, Crater Face, on being the second mistake allowed into U.A.!” Bakugo said not another word as he walked away, marching towards the door. Ruby stared at the ground, quiet as a mouse.

“Hey, Bakugo, wait—!” called out Kirishima. The door slammed shut. A heavy silence fell over Class 1-A.

“Well,” said Ashido with a huff after a while, crossing her arms and glaring at the door, “that was rude.” Ruby glanced up at the door as Bakugo’s words started to sink in. Was he right…? Was being here… was her being here just a mistake…?

“Ruby, are you okay?” Tsuyu’s voice snapped her out of her spiralling train of thoughts. Ruby quickly nodded.

“Y-Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine…” She bit down harshly on her lip to keep anything but her words from coming out. It wasn't a mistake. She tied for a spot in the top ten on the entrance exam. It wasn’t a mistake! She jumped to attention when Iida put his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t let him get to you,” he told her, pulling back.

“Iida’s right,” Ochako added. “It’s only been one day.” The rest of 1-A joined in.

“Besides, you weren’t bad during the mock battles,” said Sato.

“You being here isn’t a mistake,” Kirishima added. Ashido came up from behind and put her hands on the girl’s shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah, we’re all here to get better. Everyone made mistakes today, Bakugo included,” said the pink girl, “It’s why we’re here. To train to be heroes so we don’t make them again! It’s just the first step!” Ruby’s vision began to blur. She felt her chest tighten as something slid down her cheek.

“Hey, are you crying?” Sero asked. Ruby hasilty wiped at her eyes with her uniform sleeve. Oh crap, she was a little bit. Just… She hadn’t expected everyone to say all that.

“No. Just…” Ruby sniffed, trying to make it look like she just wasn’t starting to tear up, “thanks. I needed to hear that.” Sero nodded. Maybe getting to know her class wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“Hey, Uraraka!” called Kaminari from the back door, gesturing for the girl to come over. “Can you help me out? I can’t carry everything on my own.”

“Oh, yeah! Sure!” Ruby watched as Ochako left the room with Kaminari, softly shutting the door behind her as they left the room. She sighed, doing a proper job at getting rid of the tracks on her face as Ashido lowered her hands.

“You sure that you’re feeling okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. Much better, actually,” Ruby said with a short nod, wiping away any sign of hurt from her face. She put on a determined grin for Ashido. “I’m not gonna let people like Bakugo get me down!” Ashido smiled back.

“Atta girl!” That’s when the class’s front door opened. No one paid much attention to it, thinking that Kaminari and Ochako had just returned until:

“Hey, it’s Midoriya!” said Kirishima, causing most of the remaining class members to turn towards the door. Sure enough, standing there was Izuku Midoriya. He was still in his hero costume, but the sleeves of it were destroyed and one of his arms in a sling. His mask was gone. “Good to see ya back, super!”

“Midoriya!” Ruby exclaimed with a grin. So he was just fine after all… well, for the most part anyway. Midoriya gasped a little as a few of the remaining class members crowd around him. Ruby stayed back.

“Man, I don’t know what you were saying during that match, but you were all fired up, huh?” Kirishima continued, being the first one to reach the kid.

“I can’t believe you held your own against Bakugo—” said Sero. “He’s super strong!”

“You did a great job dodging!” said Ashido. Midoriya just looked confused from this sudden rush. Ruby heard Kirishima chuckle.

“You guys really turned up in the first match, so none of us held back in our rounds, either!” Sato explained, only getting a short nod from Midoriya.

“You were far from elegant, but I suppose—” said Aoyama, being the only one who hadn’t stood up to greet Midoriya, probably since his seat was right next to the door. He was cut off when a certain someone stepped in front of him.

“And the dodging was like, whoa!” said Ashido, jumping up and down on her toes. Aoyama was glaring at her again.

“Hey, I’m Eijirou Kirishima.” Kirishima gestured to the rest of the class. “We’ve been goin’ over training results while you were in recovery.” Midoriya could barely manage a nod before he was jumped again. It turned into a round-robin of the class introducing themselves to the boy.

“Hi, I’m Hanta Sero.”

“More importantly, I’m Yuga Ao—” Aoyama tried to say, never getting the chance to finish his introduction. Ashido jumped in front of him again.

“I’m Mina Ashido!” she said. “And I just gotta say, your dodging was awesome!” Next up was the girl standing next to her, Tsuyu.

“Tsuyu Asui,” she said. “But please, call me ‘Tsu’.”

“Hey, Sato.”

“Um. Hey, guys,” said Midoriya, sounding a bit overwhelmed by the sudden surge positivity that he was now the target of.

“And my name’s Mineta!” said the shortest of them all, jumping in front of his classmates.

“Where the heck did you pop out of?!” exclaimed Kirishima. Everyone's voices started to overlap in chatter.

“U.A.’s shiniest star here—” Aoyama began.

“You might sparkle, but you sucked it up in training,” said Sato, earning himself a look from latter. Ruby laughed quietly to herself. She walked back to her desk, gathering up her things so she could catch the last train home.

“So noisy…” muttered Tokoyami. He was right, but hey. It was better than the awkward silences of the first day.

“Tokoyami!” said Iida, rushing over to where Jirou, Tokoyami and Ojiro were grouped up. “Stop using that desk as a chair! Get off of it this instant!” Tokoyami had been sitting on his desk the whole time, how did Iida notice that just now?

“Dude, you need to chill,” said Jirou as calmly as possible. 

“You’re carrying a lot of tension,” Ojiro added. Iida stared at them, stammering over his words. Wow. That made three people who could stun him speechless.

“No one understands.” Iida said with a groan when he finally found himself able to speak once more. “I cannot condone actions that disrespect these desks. Not when great men and women, our upperclassmen, once used them!”

“Iida, calm down,” said Ruby, picking up her schoolbag from beside her desk. “Even our upperclassmen use their desks like this.”

“What?!” Ruby only nodded. Well… to her knowledge, Yang did at least.

“Also noisy,” Tokoyami sighed. As if on cue, the back door opened. Kaminari and Ochako had returned from their mission, each carrying a small stack of books in their arms.

“So, anyway, wanna grab a bite sometime?” Kaminari asked her, midway through some sort of conversation. “Kinda stuff you like?”

“Anything sweet…” Ochako caught sight of who was standing at the other door. “Hey, Deku!” With a wide grin on her face, she rushed over to him. She stared at his arm. “Why didn’t she heal your injuries?”

“Oh. Uh… Well it has to do with how much stamina I’m using,” Midoriya stammered out. He looked around at the students in the class. His face fell. “Um, Uraraka. Where’s Kacchan?” Ruby bit down on her lip. The class went quiet. Bakugo's explosive exit echoed in Ruby’s head.

“We tried to stop him from leaving. But he wouldn’t listen,” Ochako explained when no one else said anything “You just missed him.” There was a beat. Midoriya turned and ran out of the room without so much as another word. There was another moment before two members of the class rushed over to the window.

Ruby and Ashido watched as Midoriya burst out of the front doors. He had caught up to Bakugo just Ochako and Tsuyu joined their side. From their place, the girls couldn’t exactly make out what the two were saying to each other. All that they were able to see was that Bakugo was looking angrier and angrier by the second.

Just when it seemed like Bakugo was about to snap, All Might showed up to diffuse the situation. More unknown words were exchanged, and from Ruby’s point of view, it looked like Bakugo was yelling something at their teacher. Afterwards, the boy took off and left.

“Huh, I wonder what that was all about,” mused Ashido, now watching as a conversation between Midoriya and All Might unfolded. Ruby simply shrugged.

“The fated battle between rivals,” Ochako said, as if the situation was a trope in some kind of manga.

“I don’t think it’s like that…” commented Ruby. Calling them rivals seemed a bit too kind. Especially with the way that Bakugo seemed to treat Midoriya. Ruby watched as Bakugo disappeared through the U.A. gate.

“Whatever Midoriya was saying, it looked like Bakugo really wanted to punch him,” said Tsuyu.

“Childhood friends turned enemies!” said Ochako this time.

“...That’s probably right,” Ruby hummed. She sighed, leaning against the windowsill. Maybe one day she would find out what had happened down there. But for now, it would be best to let the boys handle whatever was going on between them for themselves. It was their private issues, who was she to pry?

...no matter how badly she really wanted to ask.

* * *

His cane tapped the back of his shoe as he and his companion walked through the area. It was cleaner than the slums they were used to, sure. But knowing where they were going, and what was lying in wait in this area of the city did not put Roman Torchwick at ease.

Especially with the short girl walking not that far behind him. He never went anywhere without his partner in crime, and this was no exception. But again, knowing where they were going and whom he was about to meet, taking her with him seemed like a bad idea. He didn’t want her to end up getting hurt because he had made a mistake.

As she and Roman approached the bar, the man made a choice. When they got close to the door, he held out his cane to keep her from going any further. Or even worse, from following him inside.

“Stay here,” he said simply, earning himself a displeased look from her. “I’ll be fine on my own, Neo, just stay out here and wait for me. If I’m not back within an hour, assume the worst.” Neo, a bit hesitant, nodded. “Good.” 

Roman opened the door to the building with ease. He stepped into the dim hall that the front door opened up to, making his way inside as if he was the one who owned the place. His footsteps echoed in the hall as he made his way up to the second floor. Sure enough, there was the door that he was told to find. He swiftly knocked upon it with his cane. He could not let this go bad, Roman had to remind himself silently, lest they lose an important opportunity. Or worse, Roman lost his life.

There were a few seconds of silence. If no one was going to answer… well, he couldn’t very well back down, now could he? Roman opened the door. Two people sat at the bar’s counter. He wasn’t able to get a good look at either one of them because the moment he had opened the door, the pair were standing at defense. Roman was met with a hand dangerous close to him. 

The hand was attached to a tall young man with scraggly pale blue hair, who also wore a hand on his face. Roman threw up his cane to keep the hand’s attached body away from him. He glanced at the man standing at the bar. It looked like he had been made of black mist or something. He returned his focus to the one in front of him. Roman didn’t even have to look at his face to draw one conclusion.

The kid barely looked older than Neo.

“You have five seconds to tell me how you fund this place and why you’re here,” said the kid, his voice raspy and hoarse.

“Calm down, I’m here as an olive branch from…” Roman glanced down at the hand, keeping his cane between them, “let’s just call her the Queen.”

Now that got a reaction. The yellow eyes of the mist man widened as soon as those words left Roman’s mouth. Just like  _ she _ said that it would, that single word had been his key into the castle.

“Tomura Shigaraki,” said the man to the kid trying to act like one, “hear what he has to say.”

“What?” Roman lowered his head, doing his best to hide his clearly visible smirk. The kid sat back down, although he didn’t take his eyes off of the thief. Roman finally lowered his cane as soon as he was sure that he was safe. “What do you want?”

“I’m simply here as a messenger…” Roman told him, finally flashing that smirk of his, “and a possible ally.” That seemed to catch interest.

“...explain.” Roman sighed silently under his breath. So far, so good. Now for the pitch, and if that didn’t go well… well, then he just had to get out of there as quickly as he possibly could before he lost anything of importance.

“Let’s just say that my employer wants to go in on a little…” Roman ran a hand over the crook of his cane, picking at the end of it, “let’s call it a business venture together. Her boss overheard through the grapevine about your little plan. She sent me here with a proposition for you. If you want to accomplish it…” he glanced over at the two sitting beside him, “you’re going to need all the men you can get. I can provide that.”

“...How many men?” asked the kid. Roman smirked.

“All the crooks and criminals hiding underground in this city who hate the Symbol of Peace as much as you. They’re under my control,” he said, leaning up against the bar’s countertop. “And if you agree to cooperate with us, under yours as well.”

“It may be just the three of us at the moment, but we do need more—” said the man made of mist before his… friend slammed part of his hand down on the table that separated them.

“I know!” the kid snapped. From behind that hand, Roman could make out red eyes that were narrowed. “...but to get help from a petty thief.” Roman’s smirk grew wider.

“Seems my reputation precedes me,” he said, a bit impressed with himself. If they knew about him… He shook his head. Any recognition could come later. “But keep in mind the offer isn’t from me. I’m nothing more than a pawn working for... for as I said before, a Queen.” And no one went against the Queen. No one was brave enough to. Roman rested his cane against his leg. “So? Do we have a deal.”

There was a moment of silence.

“I won’t shake on it,” said the kid, glancing down at Roman's gloved palms. “You don’t want me to.”

“Oh, believe me,” Roman placed his cane over his shoulder, sliding his free hand into his pocket with a smirk. “I don’t.”

If the rumors about this kid were right… then the criminal underworld would soon hold power over this city. And Roman Torchwick would be able to reclaim his pride from the little red riding hood that took it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really hoping that I wrote Bakugo's actions well in this chapter. It may seem sort of... explosive (pardon that pun only word I could think of to use) when he was targeting Ruby, but I have a way to explain why I did that the way I did.
> 
> I was rewatching the anime while working on this to help me get a feel for what was going on, to help me write the characters, figure out where I could fit RWBY into the storyline, etc, etc... when I noticed something following Deku v. Kacchan.
> 
> After Midoriya collapses, a few things happen. One thing that I noticed was Bakugo beginning to hyperventilate before All Might showed up and sort of... snapped him out of it, I guess. I rewatched the scene a few times again to make sure that I wasn't just imagining things, and it hit me.  
> With the realization he had, Bakugo might've just had a breakdown or even a panic attack that was caused by... what I think was what he thought about himself and the world collapsing around him. It's easy to forget that Bakugo's still a kid. This is kind of normal. At least for me it is.  
> Watching the rest of the series, I realized that this isn't the only time this happens. The second is after his fight with Todoroki during the Sports Festival (it's a personal theory between my sisters and I that Bakugo's first thought after knocking out Todoroki was that he had accidentally killed him in that blast, hence his reaction). And there's the obvious, when Bakugo breaks down before his second fight with Midoriya following the provisional license exam.
> 
> Anyway, I'm rambling. My point is that Bakugo was having a breakdown or even a panic attack after his fight with Midoriya. Katsuki's definitely the type of person to bottle everything up until it explodes (again, pardon my use of the word), and since I do the same thing, it was kind of easy to use my own personal knowledge and Bakugo's personality to come to the conclusion of what had to happen in between the two times he saw Midoriya. Such as not wanting to be touched or interact with people, doing whatever he can to get away from them.
> 
> I'm not trying to give an excuse as to Bakugo's behavior, mostly since I wrote it, but give a reason for it.  
> I hope that's a good enough explanation! 
> 
> NEXT TIME:
> 
> Chapter Eight: Representation
> 
> TO THE WINDOW, TO THE WALL--


	8. Representation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to choose a representative for Class 1-A... but apparently doing normal school things doesn't last very long, and Ruby's still having second thoughts about who her class chose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I like to call "the calm before the storm". There are no warnings this time around except for Iida hitting a wall. That's about it.
> 
> Ruby's a good friend and really over-enthusiastic about being right.

Every day at U.A. was strange, new and exciting. Nothing was ever really the same. That day was no exception. Though Ruby had to admit. What she, Yang and Jaune came across that morning was a bit beyond strange.

A large group of reporters and cameramen were crowded around the U.A. entrance. Ruby heard Yang utter several choice words under her breath as they approached the gates. This… probably wasn’t a good thing. Yang pushed past the reporters, making a decent enough path for the trio to get through. They would’ve gotten through without a problem if one reporter didn’t act.

“Hey!” Ruby let out a yelp as a reporter grabbed her by the shoulder to get her to stop. “You!” Ruby blinked.

“Me?” she asked. The reporter nodded.

“Care to answer a few questions for us?”

“I, uh…”

“Nope!” Before Ruby could give a proper answer, Yang came up from behind. She grabbed both Jaune and her sister by the arms and began to pull them through the crowd of journalists.

“Ow, Yang!” Jaune cried out, but the blonde girl didn't show any signs of letting go or even loosening her hold. If anything, it grew tighter. Her purple eyes showed the slightest tinge of red.

“Back you, vultures!” said Yang with a small growl, tightening her grip on both her friend and sister. Ruby could have sworn that Yang started to walk faster as soon as they were out of the crowd and safely on school grounds.

“Yang!” Ruby exclaimed as she was almost dragged into the building. She heard her sister sigh as they safely stepped into the school. It was only at that point did she let go. Ruby rubbed her arm where Yang had just grasped it. “What was that all about?”

“Vultures,” Yang spat out with a glare aimed at no one. Jaune sighed.

“She means the reporters,” he explained before turning to Yang. “I wouldn’t call them vultures exactly, but… it’s somewhat accurate.”

“Reporters?” Ruby repeated, getting a nod from Jaune. She glanced out the window as they climbed the steps. Did the mob somehow grow in the past few minutes? “Is it normal for them to crowd around the gate like that?”

“No,” said Yang, still sounding a bit bitter. “They usually leave U.A. alone unless it’s for the Sports Festival.” She sighed. “This is pretty weird.”

“I think I could guess why…” muttered Jaune. Both he and Yang turned to Ruby. Ruby stared right back at them.

“Huh? Why are you lookin' at me?” asked Ruby. Her face went flush. “I didn’t have anything to do with this!” Jaune shook his head.

“No, they only tried to get information out of you. Not me or Yang.” The trio glanced out the window. “And by the looks of it, they’re trying to get first years to answer their questions. I’m guessing it’s because you have All Might teaching you.” Ruby looked over at him.

“This is all because of All Might?” Jaune nodded.

“Makes sense,” said Yang with a shrug. “The number one hero suddenly starts teaching at a high school? Bit suspicious. But they really should leave the students alone. Huh?” Yang leaned forward, narrowing her gaze as someone new entered the U.A. grounds. “Hey, Jaune, isn’t that…?” Jaune let out a yelp before ducking out of the window’s view. Mr. Aizawa had arrived for work that morning, with a reporter trying to follow after him.

As soon as she stepped onto school grounds, however, loud alarms started blaring outside. A thick, solid metal gate dropped down, barring the reporter’s entry. Similar walls were raised up around the school’s border. The homeroom teacher didn’t even bat an eye, while Ruby’s had gone wide.

“What’s that?!” she borderline shouted, not taking her eyes off of the gate. Jaune stepped out from his hiding place to get a look at what she was talking about.

“It’s U.A.’s defense system,” he explained with a sigh. “If anyone without an I.D. or visitor’s pass tries to get in, that thing drops down on them.”

“Hey, as long as they stay on that side, let them try to come in,” said Yang with a huff. She groaned, tugging at the strap of her bag. “Ya know, I thought All Might being a teacher would be awesome, and it is, but this is a pain in the—”

“Miss Xiao Long, watch your language,” said a voice from behind. Yang finished her sentence with a yelp. The three spun around the face of a familiar man that Ruby hadn’t seen since the days preceding the entrance exam.

“Ozpin!” exclaimed Yang, her face going pale.

“Uh, good morning, sir!” said Jaune, frantically trying to cover for the fact that Yang was just about to break one of the school’s rules against swearing while on their grounds.

“If it can be called that, then yes. Good morning, Mr. Arc.” The teacher’s voice had as much frustration as Yang’s did as he spoke. Ozpin glanced over the window. “I assume that you three ran into the mob out front.”

“Unfortunately… “ said Ruby with a dry chuckle. Ozpin sighed. He muttered something to himself that Ruby couldn’t quite make out.

“That’s the downside to being a hero, I’m afraid: having to deal with the media. You’ll learn this one day.” Ozpin’s eyes fell upon Yang and Jaune. “Mr. Arc, Miss Xiao Long. I’ll see both of you in class…?” It took a minute for the third years to understand what their teacher was saying.

“Yes, sir!” Jaune said quickly.

“See you later, sis!” said Yang, messing up Ruby’s hair before she and Jaune raced off to their classroom. Left alone, Ruby was able to stew in her thoughts. She had to go back to her classroom. And face Bakugo again after everything that happened yesterday… Ruby wrapped her hands around her backpack’s straps.

“Is everything alright, Miss Rose?” Ruby snapped out of her thoughts when Ozpin spoke. She looked up at him, doing her best to hide any sort of visible unease.

“Yeah! Just…” Ruby bit her lip, staring down at her shoes, “something my classmate said yesterday has been bugging me. Do you… Do you think it was a mistake for me to be accepted into U.A.?”

“That remains to be seen.” Ruby glanced up at him. “You’ve been at U.A. for a few days. You’re only just beginning your training.”

“I know…” said Ruby before she sighed, “my friends told me the same thing yesterday, too.”

“Then they’re friends that you should keep.” Ruby smiled a bit. They  _ had _ jumped to her defense almost immediately. It was… nice. They all thought that she had belonged there with them. “Ruby, I have made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet. And at the moment, I do not consider awarding you those points to be one of them.” Ruby stared at him. Did he just say…?

“That was you? You gave me those rescue points?” Ozpin nodded.

“A few of them, yes. I simply brought it to the faculty’s attention. You did the rest on your own,” said he as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Being a hero isn’t a title that you carry. It’s a badge that you constantly wear. A hero must always perform at their best, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t human. They’re leaders doing what they can to make the world a better place. It’s up to you to decide what you must do to accomplish that. You have plenty of time to find out what it is.”

Ruby nodded, letting her teacher’s words sink in.

“Thank you, Mr. Ozpin!” she said. He offered her a smile, ruffling the girl’s hair under a gentle touch.

“Off to class with you, Miss Rose,” said Ozpin, “Before your homeroom teacher beats you there. Shouta Aizawa is not a man of outward patience.”

“Yes, sir!” said Ruby with a quick nod. She sprinted down to her classroom, keeping her fingers crossed that she could manage to beat her homeroom teacher there. And lucky for her, she did (though at the cost of getting reprimanded by Iida for running in the halls…).

* * *

Ruby considered herself lucky that she managed to beat Mr. Aizawa to class. When their teacher finally entered the classroom, he looked a bit more tired than usual. He muttered something to himself that Ruby couldn’t quite make out from her spot in the back of the class. He sighed as he stepped up to the front, steady gaze focusing on the twenty-one students sitting before him.

“Decent work on yesterday’s combat training, you guys,” he said, signifying the start of class. “I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team’s results. Bakugo.” The blonde simply lifted his head at the sound of his name. “You’re talented, so don’t sulk like a child about your loss, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Bakugo replied. At least he sounded a lot calmer than he was yesterday after school… Ruby’s nails dug into her knees at the memory.

“And Midoriya.” Midoriya flinched when Mr. Aizawa said his name. He stared at his desk, dropping his hands into his lap. “I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder. And don’t give me the excuse that you don’t have control over your Quirk. That line’s already getting old. You can’t keep breaking your body while training here. But your Quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it.” Midoriya lifted his head at the praise. “Show a little urgency, huh?”

“Right!” said Midoriya with a nod.

“Let’s get down to business,” Mr. Aizawa continued now that his reprimanding of the two bitter rivals was done. Ruby let out a little sigh. At least he didn’t say anything about anyone else. “Our first task will decide your future.” Oh no, it wasn’t another Quirk test, was it? “You all need to pick a class representative.” Ruby sighed again. Oh great, it was just normal school stuff. ...wait, class rep?

“Pick me, guys!” exclaimed Kirishima, arm raised up high as he shot out of his seat. “I wanna be class rep!”

“I’ll take it,” Kaminari put out, raising his hand just as high as Kirishima’s.

“Yeah, you’re gonna need me,” said Jirou, though not as hyped up as the other two before her.

“Someone with style would be best…” Aoyama suggested.

“I’m like, totally the right pick!” Ashido said, waving her hand up high. Ruby added her own to the mix.

“Let me do it!” she asked, standing up to make sure that she could be seen. In a normal class, being the representative meant just a bunch of extra work. But from what she had been told but her upperclassmen friends, there was more to it for the students in the hero course. Being the class rep was a way to get noticed by a hero agency and prove that you were a leader.

The noise in the classroom started to grow louder (it was even hard to hear  _ Bakugo _ to some extent). The one thing that cut crystal over the din was the sound of someone striking their desk. The volume lowered instantly. Eyes fell upon Iida, who had his palms flat against his desk’s surface.

“Silence, everyone, please!” he said, actually succeeding in getting the class to quiet down even more so that he could be heard. “The class representative's duty is to lead others. That’s not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader!”

“Is this really the best idea?” Kaminari asked.

“We’ve only known each other for a few days,” said Tsuyu, “how do we know who we can trust?”

“Besides,” Kirishima added, sounding a little bit disappointed with this proposal, “everyone’ll just vote for themselves.”

“Most people will,” said Iida. “But that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It’s the best way, right sir?” Mr. Aizawa was already in his sleeping bag by the time Iida looked to him for approval.

“Do what you want,” said their teacher, “just decide before my nap’s over.” Ruby sighed. 

_ Mr. Aizawa _ … He was a good teacher from what she had seen, but it was stuff like this that made her question that opinion sometimes.

“Thank you for your trust!”

And with that, the Class 1-A election began. Small slips of paper were passed around to each member of the class to serve as ballots. Ruby immediately went to write down her name on her own. She stopped, however, before she could even put down a single line. 

Was voting for herself really the best idea? She had made so many mistakes yesterday. It wasn’t just during training either, it was also when she tried talking to Bakugo yesterday. The class rep needed to be able to lead and not back down just because someone yelled at her. And the entire class had to stand up for Ruby yesterday.

Wait, they needed to be a leader. Ruby thought about what Ozpin told her that morning. A hero was a leader. They performed at their best, but were human enough to show their flaws. Ruby’s eyes fell upon Iida. He had done the best during their training yesterday, and carried almost the entire team by himself. He seemed to handle being wrong pretty well, too.

Ruby made up her mind. She cast her vote, which had been quickly collected with the rest of her classmates’. They were counted, and the results were written up on the board for all to see.

“How did I get three votes?!” Midoriya exclaimed as soon as the election results were revealed. Most members of Class 1-A had gotten at least one vote. There were about a handful that had none. Momo Yaoyorozu had come out with two, but Izuku Midoriya had somehow managed to snag three.

“Okay, you idiots,” Bakugo barked upon seeing the totals for himself, standing up and slamming his hands on his desk in response, “who voted for him?!"

“What? Did you honestly think anyone was gonna vote for you?” said Sero.

“What did you just say?!” Ruby flinched at Bakugo’s voice. Why did he have to yell…? She cast a glance over at the other side of the room. Iida was doubled over in his seat, arms braced against his desk and his forehead nearly pressed down upon the surface in defeat.

“One vote…” said Iida, “I feared this might happen, but I can’t argue with the system I chose! But how did I only get one vote?!”

“Didn’t you vote for yourself?” asked Ashido.

“No, I didn’t.” 

Yaoyorozu sighed. “So, you voted for someone else, huh?”

“But you knew it was best to vote for yourself, right?” said Sato. “What were you tryin’ to prove here, Iida?” That only seemed to make things worse, as Iida’s head finally met the surface of his desk.

_ Poor Iida… _ Ruby thought as Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were ushered to the front of the class. 

“Alright, the class rep is Midoriya, and our deputy is Yaoyorozu,” Aizawa announced, which only served to fluster Midoriya even more. Ruby really thought that Iida would be the perfect choice for class rep. And everyone seemed to get behind Midoriya and Yaoyorozu so easily. Well… they weren’t bad choices. Ruby had to agree with Kaminari when he said that Yaoyorozu was on top of things during their training. And Midoriya was really smart and always seemed to have a plan. 

Maybe they would be good representatives.

* * *

The rest of the morning seemed the drag on until their lunch break. From her place in the back of the class, Ruby could see Midoriya constantly fidgeting in his seat. He was really on edge about something, huh? She got her explanation as to why when it was finally time for lunch. Yesterday, she had sat with Yang and the older students since she hadn’t known her classmates that well. Today was different.

The second Ochako had spotted her, she called Ruby over to the table she, Midoriya and Iida were occupying. It took her a moment to process the request, and with a little urging from her sister, Ruby accepted the offer. She sat down beside Iida, doing her best to hide her nerves. She hadn’t known these guys for long. But it was like Yang told her a few days ago. She just had to be herself and things would go over smoothly. Right? Right. Yang was rarely ever wrong. At least about things like this, she was.

While Ochako was absolutely absorbed by the taste of her rice, Midoriya’s mind seemed to be somewhere else. He chased his lunch around his bowl before letting out a sigh.

“Guys, I’m kinda worried about the class rep thing,” he said, finally getting to the point of his distraught attitude. “I don’t think I’m qualified.”

“Sure you are,” Ochako told him with a both shrug and her mouth full. She swallowed down the rice before continuing. “You’ll be great.”

“You have all the qualities of a hero,” said Ruby, wiping away any of her own lunch that had gotten stuck to the corners of her mouth, “and a hero has to be a leader.”

“She’s right, you know,” added Iida. “Your courage and quick thinking under stress will help make you a worthy leader. Not to mention the strength you’ve demonstrated. Those are the reasons I voted for you, at least.” Midoriya stared at him.

“You didn’t vote for yourself?” he asked. Iida nodded.

“Didn’t you wanna be rep really badly?” Ochako said, going for her rice once again, “I mean you do look the part. ‘Cause of the glasses.” Midoriya sighed. While Ruby really didn’t disagree, she saw Ochako’s point. Iida’s appearance fit the bill.

“Wanting a job and being suited to it are quite different things,” said Iida. Ruby glanced over at him. But… he  _ was _ suited for the job. “Observing the Iida family’s hero agency has taught me that much.” Ruby stopped, food halfway to her mouth. Wait...

“Agency?” she repeated in unison with the other two first years at their table.

“Hold on, what does your family do?” asked Midoriya. Iida went flush, his mouth falling open and no sound coming out of it.

Iida looked down at the table in embarrassment, and replied a little too quickly: “Oh, it’s nothing.” Midoriya, Ochako and Ruby exchanged a look between each other. Okay, that wasn’t normal. Something was definitely up.

“Y’know, I’ve been wondering something about you,” said Ochako. She smirked. “Admit it, Iida. You’re filthy rich!”

“Uh—!” Iida looked between the three sitting around him. “I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family…” He sighed as his classmates stared at him in anticipation for his answer. “You see, the Iidas have been Pro Heroes for generations. It runs in our blood.” The eyes of his classmates went wide.

“What?” shrieked Ochako.

“That’s awesome!” said Midoriya with awe. A small smile curled up on Iida’s face as he went on.

“Are the three of you familiar with the Turbo Hero, Ingenium?”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, of course!”

“I know all about him!” said Midoriya, as if a switch had been flipped in his brain. “He’s a super-popular pro with sixty-five sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency!” The grin he had faded, and he stared at Iida. “Don’t tell me…!” Iida nodded.

“He’s my elder brother!” he announced proudly. Ruby stared at him.

“Your family’s famous!” said Ochako, eyes wide.

“I can’t believe it!” Midoriya partially exclaimed, not even hiding his excitement one bit. Out of the three, Ruby’s reaction was the most extreme. After letting the revelation settle in her mind, she jumped up, slamming her hands down on the table.

“I knew it!” she exclaimed, silver eyes sparkling as she recalled the conversation she had with Iida during their mock battle. “I knew your Quirk was a lot like Ingenium’s, but you didn’t say anything about it! I should’ve put the pieces together sooner! The difference is just where your engines are!”

“I’m sorry for not saying anything about it,” said Iida, giving her an apologetic look, “but I was—”

“No, I get why you didn’t say anything,” Ruby plopped back down in her seat, “but Iida, I don't know how you kept it a secret!” Even she had trouble when it came to her living Pro Hero relatives. It came easier with practice, she guessed. It helped that she didn’t share any of their last names either. “It’s kind of cool that you’re related to someone so popular. Ingenium is really awesome! He looks like a knight in shining armor, too. A true hero!”

“Thank you.” That probably just made Iida’s pride grow. “Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him. However, I think it might be a bit soon for me to be in the real leadership role.” He turned to Midoriya. “You, for example. You figured out what the judges were looking for in the practical exam. A rep needs that sort of insight.” 

It took a second for those at the table to realize what exactly Iida was doing. There was a soft smile on his face that Ruby and the others hadn’t seen before.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, Tenya!” said Ochako, reflecting the one Iida himself had. “You should do it more.” Iida’s smile faded, replaced by a flustered and confused look.

“What are you talking about? I smile all the time!” Ruby cast a look over at her sister from across the cafeteria. She grinned. Maybe Yang was right about these guys. Looked like Ruby actually did manage to make friends of her own after all. And all she had to do was be herself. So far, that seemed to be working out just fine.

“Hey, yeah,” Midoriya started, “so about that practical exam—” The plain-looking boy was cut off when a loud, ringing alarm sounded over the school’s PA system.

“ _ Warning. Level Three security breach _ ,” said a calm voice over the system’s speaker. “ _ All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion _ .” Chairs screeched, and several students started to rush out of the cafetiera. The four members of Class 1-A still sat in place, glancing at each other in confusion.

“What’s a ‘Level Three security breach’?” Iida asked, as if his classmates knew the answer. Ruby jumped when someone grabbed her by the shoulder. She whipped around to face them.

“Yang!” Ruby exclaimed. There was a look on her sister’s face that she hadn’t had the chance to see in person.

“It means someone’s broken into the school,” Yang stated as firmly as possible, hero instincts having kicked themselves on. “It also means get up and do as the system says! No buts!”

The first years didn’t question their upperclassman. They got up out of their seats and raced towards the exit. Unfortunately, though, evacuating in an “orderly fashion” wasn’t exactly what happened.

All of the students in the cafetiera started to crowd around the exit, pushing and shoving until it created a massive mob. Ruby lost sight of her friends in the crowd, only managing to stick with Yang because her sister had a tight grip on her arm. Ruby heard Yang growl, eyes growing redder as more people kept pushing into her.

“Yang!” called out a familiar voice from the mass of people. “Ruby!” Blake and Weiss had managed to wiggle their way towards the two sisters. How they found them in this crowd was something that Ruby was never going to understand.

“Hey!” Yang reached over, grabbing Blake’s hand and pulling her and Weiss (who was holding onto Blake’s other hand) towards the pair.

“Ow!” Ruby hissed as she was slammed up against one of the walls. She groaned, frowning and trying to keep herself from being knocked over. “Everyone’s pushing!”

“I’m not surprised…” Weiss said with a grunt as she sharply elbowed a student behind her to get them to back off. “Everyone in the hero course is outnumbered. Haven’t you noticed that we’re the only ones who are calm?! The other students are the ones causing panic!”

“Who’s dumb enough to even try and break into U.A.?!”

“You’d be surprised…” Yang muttered loudly, disdain heavy on her words. Ruby let out a sudden yelp as someone pushed roughly against her. The other girls caught the youngest before she could hit the ground, pulling Ruby back onto her feet with ease. Yang let out a frustrated groan. “Weiss, do you think you could use your Quirk to keep this mob from getting worse?!”

“I don’t think so!” Weiss bit back a remark as she was roughly shoved closer to the other three girls. She sighed, beyond frustrated. “Where’s Ren? He could calm them down in an instant with Jaune’s help.”

“I haven’t seen him since we left homeroom,” said Blake, to which Weiss groaned. Just as she did, someone rose above the crowd and into the air. Ruby’s eyes widened when she caught sight of who it was.

“Iida!” she cried out, mostly from surprise. How was he doing that?! Was Ochako somewhere nearby?!

“You know him?!” Weiss exclaimed. Ruby nodded.

“He’s in my class!” Iida then activated his engines. The force sent him spiralling forward through the air with a yelp. His glasses came off, hovering in the air for a brief moment before coming down towards the crowd. Ruby jumped up, grabbing them before they could get stepped on. Just as she landed back on the ground, Iida slammed into the wall. Yang winced in sympathy as Ruby’s classmate braced himself on the door frame and the pipe above it.

“Listen up, everything is okay!” Iida called out, raising his voice as loud as he possibly could to be heard over the clamoring crowd. Things seemed to calm down as soon as Iida had been heard. “It’s just the media outside! There’s absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything’s fine! We’re U.A. students! We need to remain calm and prove that we’re the best of the best!”

Several students around Ruby let out sighs of relief. Ruby found herself among that number. Things slowly started to return to peace as the civilians were calmed down. Ruby watched as Iida carefully climbed down from the top of the doorframe with the help of several other students. He disappeared into the crowd.

“Reporters…” said Weiss, her arms crossed and with a tone that was as sweet as a lemon. She scoffed. “Typical.” Blake let out a sigh, her golden eyes gazing out the window.

“Looks like the police are here to take care of things,” she said. The other three girls turned towards the window. Blake was right. Telltale cop cars were now parked outside of U.A.’s gate, helping a few of the teachers there push back the mob of reporters and sending them on their way.

Weiss sighed. “I’m surprised they didn’t listen to the teachers.”

“Vultures,” Yang spat out as she glared down at the flock of reporters now being handled below. Ruby only nodded. Yang might have been right in calling them that.

Soon enough, the mob began to calm down. It dispersed somewhat as the problem resolved itself, with most of the students returning to their classrooms for the rest of the lunch break. Ruby stuck by her friends’ side, scanning the crowd for her own classmates. She still had Iida’s glasses in her hand.

“Ruby!” The girl turned when she heard Ochako’s voice calling her name. She jumped up, waving her arm as high as possible for at least one of her friends to spot if Ochako couldn’t.

“Guys, I’m over here!” Ruby called in reply. The trio of first years made their way through the lingering remnants of the crowd. As soon as they were able to, they rushed up to her.

“Are you okay?” Midoriya asked almost immediately, checking over the small girl for any visible injuries. Ruby nodded. She was fine. She had people who kept her from getting hurt. People who were still standing behind her.

“Shouldn’t we be asking you that?” said Yang to Iida. “You okay, kid? That looked like it hurt.” Iida nodded, a bit taken aback.

“I’m fine,” he replied after a second, “thank you for asking.” The three members of 1-A stared at the girls of 3-A.

“Hey, Ruby, who are these guys?” asked Ochako. Ruby did a double take between her friends and her sister. Oh… right.. she guessed they had never met before, huh? Well, better now than never.

“Oh, these are my friends and sister,” said Ruby, quickly remedying the problem. “They’re in the hero course, too! But they're in their third year.” One by one, the older students introduced themselves.

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked. Blake hit her side. "Oh, I'm Yang."

“Nice to meet you!” said Ochako with a polite smile, giving the trio a short bow. Midoriya looked between the three girls in front of him before turning to Ruby, his face a bit red.

“You’re friends with third years?” he asked. Ruby nodded.

“Yeah. Yang’s really outgoing. She brings home her friends all the time,” she explained. “I ended up making friends with them, too. I know about… half of class 3? Yang, Weiss, Blake, Jaune…” Ruby counted off the members that she knew on her fingers, coming out with a total of ten. She nodded. “Yeah, half of them.”

“She’s officially the class’s little sister!” said Yang, one hand messing up Ruby’s hair and the other hooked around her like a lasso. A little bit too tightly. When did Yang get this strong?!

“Yang, I can’t breathe!” Ruby choked out, squirming to get away from her sister. Ochako let out a short laugh.

“I think it’s nice to have a family waiting for you!” she said. “Must be a bit of a confidence boost.” And that flicked a switch in all three older girls as they grinned.

“Is it, Ruby?” asked Blake, leaning against Yang’s shoulder. Ruby chuckled nervously, still wrestling to get free from her sister’s hold. She wasn't sure how to answer that.

“Well,” said Weiss, glancing over at Ruby with a short smirk that she probably thought that the other couldn’t see, “we do watch her back.”

“Stop it!” Ruby, going red in the face, finally pulled herself out of her sister’s grip. She caught the faint sound of Midoriya muttering as she stumbled closer to her friends. “Huh? Midoriya, you say something?”

“Uh, nothing! It’s just…” he scanned Yang, Blake and Weiss, brows furrowed in thought, “you guys look familiar.” Ruby caught sight of Weiss going rigid.

“You’ve probably seen us during the Sports Festival,” she said almost immediately after the words left Midoriya’s mouth. That was right… the U.A. Sports Festival was broadcast across the country. It would be completely possible to see them there. ...Honestly, for Weiss, it was a good excuse. “That’s all.”

“Maybe…” Ruby could see his mind starting to put the pieces together. She glanced back at a worried Weiss. Midoriya was a smart kid. He would realize who she was exactly in no time. Ruby had to do something. Distract him, make him lose his train of thought… She looked down at what was in the palm of her hand. Bingo!

“Oh, Iida! Here!” said Ruby, silently thanking fate that she managed to catch the perfect distraction. She held out the glasses in hand to her classmate. “You dropped these.”

“Thank you,” Iida promptly took his glasses from her. As he slid them back onto his face, Ruby glanced over at Midoriya. Her diversion had not worked. In fact, that look on his face made it seem like something just clicked. He opened his mouth, and her sister acted quickly.

“Come on,” said Yang, hooking an arm around Midoriya before he could say anything. “Why don’t we take you kids back to class? Just be careful of the questions you ask on the way there.” All Midoriya did was nod.

* * *

Mr. Aizawa was late to return to class when the break was over. 1-A sat in silence for the first five minutes, with Yaoyorozu and Midoriya taking place at the front, ready to continue with the rest of the representative duties. The next five was when the chatter started, with a couple of the kids trying to come up with answers as to where their teacher was.

When Aizawa finally walked in the room, he seemed irritated. He did not hesitate a second to tell the class to shut their mouths. ...was it possible that he looked more tired than he had that very morning? Whatever the case was, he handed off the reins to Yaoyorozu and Midoriya. This was the students’ task to handle, not his. He crawled in that sleeping bag of his instead and collapsed on the floor.

Ruby had no words for that.

“It’s time, class rep,” said Yaoyorozu to the boy beside her. “Let’s begin.”

“Um. Okay, so we need to figure out who the other class officers will be.” Midoriya looked at the floor. “But first, there’s something that I want to say. I’ve thought a lot about this.” He sighed, looking up towards his classmate. “And I think Tenya Iida should be our class rep! He was able to capture everyone’s attention and get us in line. So I believe That he should be the one leading our class from now on!”

Ruby stood up almost immediately when she heard Midoriya say that.

“I feel the same as Midoriya!” she exclaimed. A few of her classmates stared at her. She chuckled nervously. It was true, but probably not the best way to put it out there. She heard someone mutter “now we know who voted for him”. There was another quiet moment before anyone else spoke.

“Yeah, you know what? If he’s got those two vouching for him, I’m good,” said Kirishima. He turned to others around him. “Plus he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge, right?”

“Yup!” Kaminari said, nodding in agreement. “Oh! Did you notice he looked like the dude on the emergency exit signs when he was on the wall earlier?” Ruby held back a snicker as she sat back down. Now that she looked back on it, he kind of did.

“What a waste of time.” Midoriya let out a yelp as Mr. Aizawa sat up, still in his bag. “I don’t care who the rep is, just hurry up,” he said. Iida stood as Aizawa flopped back down. There was a brief second of silence before the speedster made his choice.

“If Midoriya is nominating me for this job…” Ruby caught sight of Iida grinning, “then I humbly accept! I pledge to carry out the duties of class rep to the best of my abilities!” She smiled right back.

“Sounds good, Emergency Exit!”

“Emergency Exit Iida! Don’t let us down, man!”

Iida still hadn’t stopped smiling.

* * *

The barrier around U.A. was meant to take the brunt of any type of Quirk. That’s what it was designed for. It had to be able to take any attack that was thrown at it in order to protect the staff and more importantly, the students. ut following the incident with the press just an hour ago,

Ozpin stood there with a few of his fellow faculty members as the principal examined the mess.. The metal wall that was supposed to keep anyone from entering the gate had been reduced to rubble and dust. This was far from concerning. 

“How were ordinary members of the press able to bypass our security systems? Someone else must be behind this,” said the principal, not taking his eyes off of the destruction for a second. “Some villain actually managed to infiltrate our school. But was this purely a show of power or a declaration of war?”

Infiltration… U.A. High School was supposed to be the safest place for young heroes to study and train. If someone managed to break in… worse, if a villain somehow managed to… Ozpin cast his gaze up the room that housed Class 1-A. The grip he had on his cane grew tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the only one excited for the finale? Because I'm really excited for the next four chapters. Who's ready for USJ to kick off??!!
> 
> Next time!
> 
> Chapter Nine: Into the Unknown!
> 
> It was just supposed to be rescue training...
> 
> Go beyond! Plus Ultra!


	9. Into the Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just supposed to be rescue training...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a small amount of class 1-A bonding, an angry Bakugo and... oh yeah, the beginning of the USJ attack. Prepare for the finale of this fic! Who's ready?!
> 
> There is some minor violence, though. Just a head's up to that, too.

Ruby bounced her leg, having trouble sitting in her seat. Unlike yesterday, today had seemed to go by without much happening. And to be honest, it left her a bit… unsettled. But… it was like Yang had told her that morning. Today was a new day, and she shouldn’t let the media breach from the day before get her down. It probably wasn’t even that big a deal. At least… she hoped so.

Ruby was brought out of her thoughts when Mr. Aizawa entered the classroom. The morning had gone by quickly, and now it was time for their hero lessons. A quiet hush fell across 1-A almost the instant their teacher entered. It stayed like that as he walked up to the podium in the front.

“Today’s training will be a little different,” said Mr. Aizawa, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jumpsuit. “You’ll have three instructors; me, All Might and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you.” 

Sero raised his hand. “Sir! What kinda training is this?” Mr. Aizawa withdrew a card from his pocket.

“Rescue,” he said, displaying the word for all to see. “You’ll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that.” The class’s excitement for their lesson that day sky-rocketed.

“Disasters, huh?” said Kaminari, smirking, “Sounds like we’re in for a big workout.”

“Totally!” agreed Ashido with a swift nod.

“Real hero stuff,” Kirishima was grinning widely. “This is what separates the men from the boys. I’m shaking with excitement.”

“Finally, I’ll get to show off how good I am in the water,” said Tsuyu, tacking on a small “ribbit” at the end. Ruby herself grinned, kicking her legs happily under his desk. Yes! Now maybe she could show off how good her speed was when not in combat.

“Guys, I’m not finished yet!” The class quieted down when their teacher raised his voice. Aizawa sighed. “What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you’re excited about costumes…” with the press of a button, the lockers in the walls revealed themselves, “but keep in mind that you haven’t gotten used to them yet, and they might limit you abilities. This training’s at an off-campus facility, so we’ll be taking a bus to get there. That’s all. Start getting ready.”

* * *

Ruby’s cloak was supposed to be like her mother’s in every way except color. However, getting dressed that day in the locker room, Ruby felt her teacher’s words linger in her mind. She left the precious cloak behind in her locker with the rest of her clothes. As much as she wanted to wear it, she probably should’ve held off on wearing it during rescue training. At least until she could properly move during combat without it getting in the way.

So, she left it behind. On the bright side, she wasn't the only one. A few of her classmates left a few pieces of their costumes behind, too. Mostly things that would get in the way or impede their vision. However, there was one person that confused her when he finally met them at the bus. Midoriya came rushing up to Ruby and Ochako. Both girls stared at him as he pulled on one of his gloves.

“Deku? Why are you wearing your PE clothes?” Ochako asked upon spying what Midoriya was wearing. Unlike the rest of the class, who had donned their hero suits, Midoriya was simply dressed in his gym clothes with a few support braces on his elbows and knees. “Where’s your costume at?”

“Yeah, I thought you of all people would want to wear it,” said Ruby. “You seemed so happy dressed like that.” Midoriya sighed.

“You saw it after combat training. It was kinda trashed,” he explained. Ruby winced at the memory of that. The sleeves of his suit and his mask were practically blown apart by Bakugo. “I'm still waiting on the support company to fix it up.”

The conversation was interrupted by the sharp blow of a whistle. Iida was standing in front of the bus, the aforementioned item in his hand.

“Gather around, Class 1-A!” called out their class rep. “Using your student numbers, form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently.” Iida blew the whistle repeatedly in succession. A few students grumbled something incomprehensible as they followed through with the order.

“Iida’s kicking it into high gear as our class rep, huh?” Midoriya muttered as the class lined up in front of the bus, as per the wish of said class rep.

“I know we didn’t make a mistake, but he seems way too happy about this…” Ruby remarked as she followed her friends, “and so quickly.”

Unfortunately, with the way the bus was laid out, Iida’s boarding strategy was effectively ruined. The seats in the middle were open towards each other, pressed back against the window as if they were on the subway instead. Everyone took place in a seat of their own, while Iida doubled over in defeat. Ruby took up a spot next to Kaminari, swinging her legs back and forth.

“Iida,” said Ashido as she plopped down next to Iida, “you really need to chill.” Iida only muttered something quietly to himself in response to that. The conversation took a turn in subject when Tsuyu, sitting on the opposite side, took the reins.

“If we’re pointing out the obvious, then there’s something I wanna say…” said the frog girl before turning to Midoriya who was sitting next to her, “about you, actually.”

“About me?” Midoriya repeated, a brow raised. Tsuyu nodded. “What is it, Asui?”

“I told you to call me ‘Tsu’.”

“Oh.” Color took over Midoriya’s face. “Yeah, right.”

“That power of yours. Isn’t it a lot like All Might’s?” Tsuyu asked. Midoriya then let out a yelp, almost jumping out of his seat. Was Tsuyu’s question that bad? 

“What? Really? You think so, huh?” he replied, dodging a direct answer as he looked down at his hand. “I never really thought about that. I guess it’s kind of similar…”

“It’s not just similar…” said Ruby, finally stopping swinging her legs in favor of crossing them. “Tsu’s right. It’s a lot like All Might’s.” And now that she thought more about it... “Just about the same, isn’t it?” Midoriya’s face turned redder.

“Uh… I mean…” he stammered, not really looking at Tsuyu or Ruby, “I guess, but uh…”

“Wait, hold on, guys. You’re forgetting All Might doesn’t hurt himself. That makes a huge difference,” Kirishima pointed out from his place on Tsuyu’s other side and seemingly coming to Midoriya’s rescue. The green-haired boy sighed as the redhead turned to him. “Still, I bet it’s cool to have a simple augmenting-type a’ Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff with it.” He held out his arm, quickly activating his Quirk and hardening it into stone. “My Hardening’s super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn’t look all that impressive.”

“Oh, no way, I think it’s really awesome looking!” said Midoriya, his face a normal color again. “You’re definitely pro material with a Quirk like that.”

“You really think so?” Kirishima stared at his arm before lowering it, letting the flesh turn soft once again. “Seems like it’d be easier to be a popular hero if I had somethin’ flashier.”

“If it makes you feel better, Kirishima, you don't need a flashy Quirk to be a hero,” Ruby told him, thinking about the heroes that she knew whose Quirks weren’t physical or could catch someone’s attention. “Like… My Quirk isn’t flashy either. I can just run really fast.”

“Rose, you make freaking rose petals when you run,” said Kaminari, throwing a look her way. “That’s  _ definitely _ gonna catch someone’s attention.” Said the boy who could make electricity.

“Yeah, but it’s just a side effect.” Ruby leaned back against the seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “Like Midoriya breaking his bones or Ochako getting sick.”

“My Navel Laser’s got the perfect combination of panache and strength,” proudly stated Aoyama from his place between Ashido and Kaminari, leaning forward onto his knees. Ashido put a hand on his shoulder.

“But it’s way lame if it gives you a stomachache, sweetie,” she said, causing the boy to glare at her.

“Well, if any of our classmates have pro Quirks, it’s Todoroki and Bakugo,” said Kirishima, gesturing over to the two students in question that were at the front of the bus.

“Sure, but Bakugo’s always angry,” Tsuyu added casually, “so he’ll never be that popular.”

“Uh— What’d you say?!” Bakugo turned around, standing up in his seat. Oh no, he had heard his name crop up in his classmates’ conversation. “I’ll kick your ass!”

“Ya see?” Ruby bit back a laugh. He wasn’t doing anything to help himself. If anything, Bakugo was only making the class’s opinion of him worse.

“Y’know, we basically just met you,” said Kaminari, “so it’s kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage.”

“More like an angry pomeranian…” added Ruby, glancing over at the explosive boy. She heard Midoriya sigh.

“Why do you keep saying that?” he asked.

“Because look at him.” Ruby gestured to where Bakugo was sitting, doing her best to hide behind the classmates between them as she did so. “He looks like an angry pomeranian!”

“Uh,” Kirishima leaned forward, giving Bakugo a good onceover, “she’s kind of right, you know…” That only made him madder.

“You’re gonna regret the day you applied to this school, you losers…!” Bakugo shouted. Ruby started to inch towards the edge of the seat and away from him. Why did he have to yell like that?

“Bakugo, calm down!” said Iida, probably hoping to keep any sort of explosion from going off inside the bus.

“Like hell I will!” It had to be luck that their teacher decided to step in there.

“Hey, hey,” said Aizawa sternly, Bakugo turning back to face him. The bus started to slow. “We’re here. Stop messing around.”

“Yes, sir,” said 1-A, some of them relieved and some disappointed that their fun had to come to an end. Bakugo just spat out a “whatever” before dropping back down in his seat.

* * *

Ruby’s eyes lit up when she finally exited the bus and got a good look at where their training would be held. The facility was massive with a large, glass dome making up the roof. Waiting for them at the building’s entrance was a teacher dressed in a thick spacesuit. Ruby couldn’t quite make out any descrenable features underneath it, aside from a pair of white eyes. It wasn’t hard to recognize them besides that fact, though.

“Hello, everyone,” said the hero as the rest of the class filed out of the bus. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

“It’s the Space Hero, Thirteen!” Midoriya said once he caught sight of their instructor, seemingly in awe and a few paces in front of Ruby, “The chivalrous pro who’s rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!”

“Woohoo!” cried out Ochako, bouncing on her heels. “Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!” The members of 1-A crowded around the space hero.

“I can’t wait to show you what’s inside!” said Thirteen, with Ruby guessing that they were grinning under that helmet. The rescue hero led the students to the front door before pushing them open. The members of Class 1-A stared in amazement as they walked into the facility. It was huge with several different sections surrounding a central plaza. The entrance was on a raised platform, and a long staircase giving them access to the facility below. 

“Holy crap!” said Kirishima, eyes wide, “It looks like some kind of amusement park!” Well… he wasn’t far from wrong. This was the perfect place for rescue training. Each different section of the building was designed to simulate a different type of natural disaster.

“A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. A windstorm. Et cetera—” Thirteen listed off each of those sections as the students followed them into the building. “I created this facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. But you can call it, USJ!”

Ruby blinked. So… kind of like Universal Studios Japan? That thought was quickly dismissed when Mr. Aizawa wove his way around the class.

“Hey, shouldn’t All Might be here already?” he said as soon as he got to Thirteen’s side. He sighed. “Lemme guess, he booked an interview instead.”

“Actually, it’s something else. Apparently he did too much hero work on his way to school this morning,” Thirteen said, raising three fingers, “and used up all his power. He’s resting in the teacher’s lounge.” Aizawa let out a frustrated sigh.

“That man is the height of irresponsibility…” Ruby heard a small gasp escape from the green-haired boy standing next to her. She glanced over. There was an unmistakable worry plastered on Midoriya’s face. She nudged him with her arm, making him jump.

“You okay, Midoriya?” she asked.

“Yup!” said Midoriya all too quickly with a nod at the same speed. “Fine!” Okay… if he was sure...

“The clock’s ticking,” Mr Aizawa said, still sounding a bit irritated about being one teacher short. “We should get started.” Thirteen nodded.

“Excellent,” they said, turning towards the class. “Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things. Possibly three, four or five…”

“We get it!” said several of the students. Thirteen let out a short laugh under their breath before getting out what exactly they needed to say.

“Listen carefully. I’m sure you’re aware that I have a powerful Quirk,” began Thirteen. “It’s called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust.”

“Yeah, you're used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven’t you?” Midoriya asked. Thirteen nodded.

“That’s true, but my Quirk could also very easily be used to kill.” Midoriya’s — as well as a majority of the class’s — excitement faded away the moment Thirteen said this. “Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all Quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don’t forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you’re trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa’s fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your Quirk’s potential. And because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people.”

Ruby cast a glance back at Bakugo. She thought back to their mock battles the other day. She thought about Midoriya’s injuries when he returned back to the class after them. Bakugo was strong, but what he did… as powerful as his explosion Quirk was, it could very well be used in a… less heroic light. Ruby really hoped that history wasn’t going to end up repeating itself today.

“Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save people’s lives. You won’t be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help,” Thirteen continued. “After all, that’s what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others.”

Ruby thought about the Quirks of her family. Uncle Qrow’s power was useful, but came at the cost of possibly harming those he cared about the most. Yang’s own Quirk was strong as heck, but it required her to get hurt in order to dish out damage. And her mother’s had been powerful from what Ruby had been told. But that power came at the price of those trying to get their hands on it. ...Every Quirk that she thought of after that did seem to have its drawbacks. Even if it wasn’t as strong as the others.

“That’s all I have to say,” Thirteen concluded with a bow. “Thank you so much for listening.” The students gave out a cheer. They were such a cool and smart pro. Class 1-A was lucky to have someone like Thirteen teaching them today.

“Right,” said Aizawa, nabbing his class’s attention. “Now that that’s over…”

Class 1A’s homeroom teacher was cut off when the lights in the USJ crackled brightly with a sudden surge of electricity. They shut off, short circuiting and dimming the area. Aizawa turned, staring down in the plaza below. His eyes went wide, and the erasure hero shifted into a defensive stance as he turned back to his students.

“Stay together and don’t move!” Aizawa ordered. “Thirteen. Protect the students!” What? What was he…? Ruby followed her teacher’s gaze down towards the plaza below. Her eyes widened, and she grabbed the first thing that was in reach — Kirishima’s arm.

“Rose, what—?” Ruby gestured to what was going on below. The color drained from her classmate’s face. “Whoa, what is that thing?!” 

There was a thick, black mist swirling in front of the fountain in the plaza below. Multiple people stepped out of it, all with devious looks upon their faces. Among them was a large monster-like being with a beak and a man with disembodied hands holding onto him. Kirishima leaned forward, trying to get a better look. He wasn’t the only one. A few of the other students inched forward as well.

“Wait, has the training started already?” said Kirishima, “I thought we were rescuing people.” Ruby tried to take a step forward to get a better look herself.

“Stay  _ back _ !” Mr. Aizawa snapped. The entire class had flinched at his tone, obeying their teacher. They had heard him mad before, but this… this wasn’t anything like that. Ruby felt a pit drop in her stomach as her teacher lifted the goggles from around his neck and secured them over his eyes. 

“This is real,” said Aizawa. “Those are villains!” The students stared down at the gathering of villains below. Ruby felt her breath hitch in their throat. Real? They were real villains?!

“What? Real villains? No way!” said Kirishima, shock still not leaving his system. “How could some many of ‘em get into a U.A. facility this secure?”

“Yeah, Thirteen,” Yaoyorozu turned to their rescue instructor. “Why aren’t the alarms going off?” Thirteen was quiet for a second.

“Good question,” they said at long last, “I’m not sure.” Ruby's heart jumped into her throat.

“Is the entire campus under attack? Or is this their only target?” mused Todoroki out loud, causing attention to fall onto him. Yang’s face flashed into Ruby’s mind, along with the rest of the third years. She suddenly felt the pit in her stomach get heavier. It only continued to do so as Todoroki went on. “Either way, if the alarm sensors aren’t being triggered, then one of these villains must have a Quirk that’s masking their presence here. They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. They’re fools for trespassing here, but they’ve thought this out. Whatever their plans, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?”

They didn’t have time to figure this out. Well, more like they weren’t given time to. Mr. Aizawa had stepped up to the top of the staircase.

“Thirteen,” he said to his colleague, his capture weapon beginning to rise around him, “get them outta here and alert the main campus. Actually, if they’ve got the ability to block our sensors, then they might be jamming our regular communications, too.” Their teacher looked back to his class. “Kaminari, try using your Quirk to contact the school.” 

Kaminari opened his mouth to reply, but shut it quickly. He nodded.

“Yes, sir,” he said at last, putting a hand to the radio he wore over his ear.

“What’re you gonna do? You can’t fight them on your own!” said Midoriya, stepping up towards his teacher’s side. “There’s too many of ‘em. Even if you can nullify their Quirks, your fighting style is not suited for this. Your power works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. That’s not gonna help with a group.” Aizawa glanced back at his students.

“You can’t be a pro if you only have one trick,” was all that their homeroom teacher said. “I’ll leave it to you, Thirteen.” Thirteen nodded. With that, Aizawa jumped down the flight of stairs that lead into the USJ's main plaza. The fight had started. And the students needed to get out of there.

“Alright, students,” said Thirteen. “Come with me!” The class didn’t need to be told twice. Almost all the students started running towards the exit with their teacher. The only exception was Midoriya, who was watching Aizawa fight below. Ruby, using her speed, rushed up to him as quickly as she could. She grabbed him by the arm.

“Midoriya, come on!” said Ruby, snapping him out of his analytical trance with her urgency. “We have to trust Mr. Aizawa, he knows what he’s doing!”

“Right!” Midoriya said with a nod. The two began running towards the exit with the rest of their class, moving as fast as they could without the use of their powers. But neither Ruby, Midoriya or Class 1-A would ever make it there.

As they closed in on the USJ’s exit, a swirling black hole appeared in their path. A man made of black mist rose from it, pure yellow eyes staring straight into Ruby as the class came to a screeching halt behind Thirteen.

“There is no escape for you. It is a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains,” said the mist man. “I know it’s impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, isn’t this a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today, and yet I see no sign of him. There must’ve been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen. Ah, well, in the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter.” He extended out what she had to guess were his arms. The mist around him rose like wings. Ruby grit her teeth. “I still have a role to play.”

Like heck he did.

“Rose!” Midoriya shouted as Ruby moved forward. It turned out that she wasn’t the only one. With a yell, both Bakugo and Kirishima leapt forward, arms hard and palms already sparking.

Ruby rushed to the villain, leaving behind a cloud of rose petals as her Quirk allowed her to get there first. She jumped up, swinging her foot around to land the first hit to him. To her surprise, she hit something solid. Ruby caught sight of metal around the man’s neck.

Was he wearing armor?

Whatever the case was, Ruby used whatever she had hit to push off. She jumped away just in time for Bakugo and Kirishima to land their own attacks. 

Ruby couldn’t see what exactly happened. Bakugo’s explosion had kicked up so much dust that it was hard to tell. As it started to settle, both of the boys landed beside her.

“Did ya think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear us to shreds?” said Kirishima, just as proud as the other two standing with him. Ruby grinned. Now those were the moves of heroes. The dust fell.

“You live up to your school’s reputation. But you should be more careful, children.” Ruby’s eyes widened, and her grin faded. The man reformed, mist surrounding his body once again. It was like they hadn’t even touched him. “Otherwise, someone might get hurt.”

“You three, get out of the way, right now!” shouted Thirteen. Ruby whipped back around. The finger of their glove was popped open. But it was already too late.

“I’ll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades and your deaths!” Before Ruby had the chance to do anything, thick black mist shot out from the man’s form. She threw up her arms, trying to fight back against the wind whipping against her. She felt the mist swirl around her body. She could barely see anything or anyone.

“Crap, what is this?!” she heard Kirishima cry out. Ruby grit her teeth before letting out a scream of her own. Darkness filled her vision, and the ground beneath her disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the chapter has ended, I feel confident enough to say that yes. I made the chapter title a reference. Why? Because why not.
> 
> Anyway, the USJ arc is now in full swing! Next chapter will be mostly original content, as well as bringing back an earlier character that was shown beforehand in the fic. You know the one.  
> I do feel really bad about Ruby kicking Kurogiri in the face. But alas. Due to a reoccurring joke, she has to kick someone in the face at least once per incident.
> 
> So, I leave you -- my readers -- with this question. Where do you think Ruby ended up?
> 
> Next time!
> 
> Chapter Ten: Ready for a Fight
> 
> Chaos, confusion and kicking ass!
> 
> Go beyond, Plus Ultra!!


	10. Ready for a Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thrust into chaos, Ruby must find her classmates and get to safety. If only one certain face wasn't trying to bar her way. Lucky for her, she isn't alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter that I've been waiting for!!! Mostly because I love writing action scenes, but here it's for the characters that get involved. Who's ready to see where Ruby ended up? Were your guesses right?
> 
> Also. thank you everyone! As of posting this chapter, this fic has hit over 1,000 views! I'm so happy. I never thought so many people would read this, and now here we are at four digits. Thank you so much!!
> 
> WARNING: The following chapter contains violence typical of a villain fight and a very familiar face. Thank you..

The ground was gone and all Ruby could do was scream. She grasped for anything — a classmate, something solid. Absolutely anything that wasn’t the swirling black mist that was throwing her around. She could barely see anything in the dark. She needed something. She wanted light. She wanted something familiar to hold onto. She didn’t want to be in the dark anymore. She didn’t want to be alone!

Just as she felt like she was about to give up hope on finding a way out, the mist started to fade away. Light flooded Ruby’s vision. It took her a second to come back to reality. She was falling towards a building. She had to do something quickly or landing was going to hurt.

Ruby flipped her body around, getting herself upright before spinning. With her Quirk active, she created a small whirlwind around her body… and a cushion of air underneath her. It seemed like a good plan in her head. But… it didn’t exactly work out the way she thought it would. Ruby broke through the roof and a few other floors instead of landing safely on the top. She rolled onto the ground into a crouch as she finally stopped.

Confusion swam through her mind. Where was she?! What just happened? What did he do? Ruby dashed towards one of the windows. Gazing out at it, she caught sight of a ruined urban area. And beyond that, the familiar glass dome of the USJ in place of a sky. She let out a small sigh of relief. She was still in the USJ.

A USJ that was filled with villains.

_ Come on, Ruby! Think! What would Yang do? What would Dad do? What would Uncle Qrow do? What would…?  _ Her mouth suddenly went dry.  _ What would Mom do…? _

She didn’t need to ask herself all those questions. The answer was the same for every hero that she knew. They would stand up and fight. They would protect the students. The same thing went for Ruby at that moment. She had to stand up against these villains and find her classmates.

_ If _ she could find them.

Ruby shook her head. No, now wasn’t the time to think like that. She was going to find them. If she was still in the USJ, then so were they. She just had to believe that. Ruby turned, racing towards the door. She ran smack into something, making her stumble back a few paces. She glanced up at it. It was a cane.

A very familiar looking cane in the hand of a familiar looking person. The man wielding it stepped into the room, his visible green eye staring directly into Ruby’s silver as he smirked.

”Well, well, well… look what we have here…” said the criminal who barred Ruby’s way. “Hello, Red.” The color drained from her face.

“You…” she said, eyes going wide as she placed a name to his face. “You’re that Torchwick guy who tried to rob that store a few months ago.” His gaze bore into hers with hatred.

“And you’re the brat who got in my way,” said Torchwick with a sneer. “You know, it’s kind of embarrassing for one of the best criminals in this city to get their ass handed to them by a kid. But still…” His sneer turned into a smirk. “I managed to get enough people together for this little… job.” Ruby’s eyes widened.

“You’re in charge of this? This is your fault?!” Torchwick chuckled.

"Oh, kid, didn't you get the memo?" Ruby stared at him, feeling a lump form in her throat. She quickly swallowed it down before continuing.

“What are you talking about?”

“The League and I are going in on a little business venture together.” Ruby’s heart skipped a beat.

“So, this is your fault!” she exclaimed, a bit of panic starting to bubble up in her chest. Did he… Did he come here just because she was here? “What is this all about?! Is it just because I ruined one of your plans?!”

“Not exactly.” Ruby heard a loud boom from nearby before the force of an explosion rattled the building. Bakugo. That had to be Bakugo. She had experienced him doing that first hand, it had to be him. Or at least Ruby hoped that it was. She made a mad dash for the door.

However, before the girl could even activate her Quirk to make her getaway, Torchwick hooked her ankle with his cane and gave it a pull. Ruby was sent tumbling to the ground and flat on her stomach. Though dazed from her fall, Ruby managed to shake herself free. Well… looked like searching for her classmates was out of the question. Not as long as he was here.

Ruby quickly rolled out of the way as Torchwick tried to bring his cane down upon her head. She was back on her feet in an instant. Little bursts of speed kept her safe as she maneuvered her away around the room, dodging Torchwick’s repeated attacks as he tried to strike her. 

Eventually, Ruby made it to the door. She ran out with the help of her Quirk, ducking into another room and hiding behind a wall. She had to think. Everyone had a weakness. That meant Torchwick had one, too. Ruby just had to figure out what it was. Of course… that would be a lot easier if she knew what Torchwick’s Quirk was. From what she could tell, he hadn’t used one at all during that small encounter earlier in the year.

_ Why isn’t he using a Quirk against me?!  _ she thought, trying to come up with some sort of excuse for Torchwick not showing it off. Was it not suitable for indoor combat? Is that why he wouldn’t use it? But when they first met, Torchwick hadn’t used a Quirk against her either. And they were outside. So why…? It struck her then.

Roman Torchwick didn’t have a Quirk. That would explain why he wasn’t using one and why the police hadn’t been able to figure out what it was. It never existed. It also explained his level of combat. He could fight without a Quirk. And he knew how to fight against them. And if their first encounter told her anything, it was that he could easily take her down despite her speed.

Ruby could hear the echo of slowly approaching footsteps.

"Here, Little Red—" Torchwick’s taunt was cut off by a shout. There was the sound of a crash and the wall giving away.

“ _ Leave her alone _ !” Ruby peeked out from her hiding place. Her eyes went wide. A very familiar redhead collided with the criminal, throwing him back and away from her. 

“Kirishima!” she cried out, scrambling to her feet, revealing herself as her hardened classmate stood between her and Torchwick.

“Well, looks like you’re not alone, are you Red?” said Torchwick, slightly irritated. Ruby darted out from her hiding place. She wasn’t the only one. More villains came out of the woodworks, probably having followed Kirishima here. The boy himself glanced over at Ruby.

“Rose, do you know this guy?” Kirishima asked before looking over at the arriving enemies. Ruby wasn’t sure what to say. She bit her lip, sighed and then nodded.

“You’re not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you, kid?” Torchwick spat at the redheaded boy. He tightened his grip on his cane. It took a second to realize what was going to happen next.

“Kirishima, stay back!” Ruby said quickly. He didn’t. Instead, Kirishima raised his fists, getting into a fighting position.

And with that said and done, the villains charged at the hardening hero. Kirishima managed to dodge nearly every single slash and swing that was thrown at him. He even got in a few blows of his own before he dropped, rolling out of the way as the wave stared to overwhelm him. The boy stood back up, hardening his arms.

_ He has pretty good reflexes _ , Ruby noted as Kirishima used the addition of his Quirk to beat down on any opponent that came near him. Each one fell in about a single blow. She watched as Kirishima moved around, beating back villain after villain. He even sent one flying over Torchwick’s head. The criminal himself wasn’t too pleased with that. He took aim at Kirishima with his cane. The boy turned, hardening his skull the second he saw the cane coming down. But it never reached him.

“Stay away!” Ruby shouted. She couldn't let him hurt her classmate. She just couldn't.

Ruby became nothing but a blur of rose petals as she attacked Torchwick, doing whatever she could to get a hit on him while not getting hit herself. Her barrage worked. Torchwick had to step back as he deflected each of Ruby’s blows with his cane at an unbelievable speed. Ruby continued to dash, leap and slide around Torchwick to try and land a single hit on him. But her opponent was smarter than she.

Even though he was barely deflecting Ruby’s own punches and kicks, that didn’t mean he wasn’t landing any. He jabbed her repeatedly with his cane in her stomach before one final  _ whack _ found her arm. Ruby cried out at the hit, stumbling back and glaring up at her opponent. With her rhythm thrown off, Torchwick gave her a kick of his own. He pushed the girl away, the blow throwing her down on the ground and away from him.

Kirishima jumped into the fight before Torchwick could take a step closer to Ruby. His body turned into a solid stone as he grit his teeth. He swung at Torchwick with every ounce of strength that he had in him. But even with the heavy-hitting blows coming at him as quickly as they could, Torchwick was still able to defend himself. But that was only against Kirishima.

Ruby pushed herself back onto her feet. It was a two on one fight. The students had the upper hand. With Torchwick dealing with the tank called Kirishima, it left Ruby open to find a weak spot. And find one she did. A second was all she needed to swap places with Kirishima. When her classmate fell back after a particularly heavy parried-blow, Ruby jumped in. 

That sudden change caused Torchwick’s defenses to crack. She kicked Torchwick directly in his stomach, the force of it amped up by the girl’s speed. It was enough to send him stumbling, and eventually fall onto his back.

Unfortunately, this let Torchwick notice something that the two students didn’t. One of the beams above them had come loose. Torchwick stood, throwing his cane at the supports still holding it up. It came falling towards the two kids. Kirishima leapt back, hardening his entire upper body as some of the debris fell on top of him and shattered upon impact. The support beam barely missed Ruby when she jumped forward, using her speed to give her a boost. 

Torchwick retrieved his cane right as Ruby landed at his feet. The man smirked before knocking the girl onto her stomach, pinning her down with the bottom of his cane and a foot. Ruby tried to push herself back up. Kirishima glared at the criminal, making the move to go forward as Torchwick raised his cane.

_ Boom _ .

“ _ DIE _ !” Ruby recognized that threatening yell. The wall beside Torchwick shattered in a controlled explosion as Bakugo broke through. Another explosion erupted from the palm of the boy’s hand, aimed directly at Torchwick. It threw the crook into the opposite wall with such a sickeningly thud that it made Ruby cringe. He fell to the ground, knocked out cold by the force of Bakugo’s attack.

“Hey! Bakugo!” said Kirishima with a grin. He rushed over to Ruby, deactivating his Quirk before pulling the girl up. “Thanks for the save!”

“Shut up!” shouted Bakugo as the villains around the kids started to get onto their feet again. The trio backed away until they ended up back-to-back with one another. “Don’t thank me yet!”

Right. They still had that problem to deal with. Bakugo was the first to move, running out of the room in an attempt to thin out the horde of villains. He growled as soon as he realized that Kirishima and Ruby followed after him. The villains came not long after.

The plan to hit and run was not as strong as Ruby thought it would have been. The villains eventually cornered the kids in a lower level and much larger room. This was one they could easily fight in. But Bakugo stepped forward as the villains started to creep in through the door.

“Just stay out of my way!” shouted the explosive boy, firing off an attack before Ruby and Kirishima could act. The explosion was at point-blank range and managed to take out two villains. Bakugo turned on his heel, landing a kick against an enemy before setting off an explosion that threw another into a wall.

Despite what Bakugo had said, Ruby and Kirishima weren't just going to stand idle while he fought. Kirishima hardened his body again, making himself almost a solid wall as a villain came running at him. He threw a punch that sent him flying. Ruby activated her own Quirk, leaping over her classmate as more villains stepped up to attack. She spun her leg so fast that they never had a chance to see what hit them. Multiple villains were knocked off of their feet.

Bakugo threw a glare her way, his jaw clenched and looking a little ticked off as a few of the villains fell in front of him.

“I said stay out of the way, Crater Face!” he shouted at her, immediately turning back to blow a villain away.

“Hey!” Ruby shouted right back at him as she hit the ground, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. “Just because I don’t know how to deal with people doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to deal with villains!” She took off again, spinning around to land a swift kick to the jaw of one villain. There was a crack as her foot met his face. The blow knocked him to the floor before he had the chance to land a hit on either her or her classmates.

“How’d you do that?!” said Kirishima, staring at the girl in bewilderment.

“Armored soles and steel toes!” Ruby quickly explained as she jumped back up into her defensive position. Bakugo cast her one last look before sending a “tch” in her direction.

“Just stay out of my way!” he said. She smirked. If she had to guess, that was Bakugo for “you can fight”.

“Got it!”

The three U.A. students stood back to back with each other. With the trio working together now, the battle could really kick off. They jumped into combat against the remaining villains. Kirishima acted as a shield, launching his hardened body at two villains before throwing them into a wall behind him. Ruby dashed back and forth, kicking one villain in the chest before bringing her foot down on another’s face in a flip. Bakugo held out the palms of his hands, launching a huge explosion that sent a group of villains flying out of the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught sight of Kirishima staring.

“Whoa…” Ruby ran over and punched a villain who was seconds away from attacking the stupefied Kirishima. She grabbed his shoulder, shaking him to snap him from his stupor.

“Stay focused!” she said, earning herself a nod from her classmate.

“Right!” Even so, she still caught Kirishima glancing over at Bakugo several times during the fight.

The trio maneuvered around each other with an unspoken grace and ease. Ruby spun, leapt and flipped over the two boys as she landed various blows and kicks to any villain that tried to attack them or her. Eventually, the number began to dwindle.

“Say goodbye!” Bakugo shouted before setting off an explosion that blew a good portion of the remaining villains into the walls with several sickening cracks. Kirishima’s hardened skin parried a villain’s blade before the boy landed a sharp blow to his neck. His opponent fell to the ground, unconscious. Ruby struck a villain in the stomach, pushing off of him to land beside her friends.

All three kids stood up, sweat dripping from their faces and panting heavily. An odd sense of calm hung in the air.

“I think that’s the last of these guys…” said Bakugo, staring down at the unconscious villains around them. He smirked. “Buncha weaklings.” Ruby sighed, wiping sweat off of her forehead. They put up a decent fight. It was kind of strange though that the villains couldn't beat three kids who only had one day of solid hero training. And one who barely even fought during said hero training.

“Alright. Let’s hurry and find the rest of our class,” said Kirishima, unhardening his arms. “If the three of us are still in USJ, then everyone else probably is, too. And not all of them have the offensive skills we do. We gotta make sure they’re safe.”

“It was kinda our fault that the mist guy was able to attack us,” Ruby added, brushing dust and dirt off of her clothes. Kirishima groaned, running a hand through his hair.

“If Thirteen had been able to suck up that villain, then we never would've been separated!” He turned to his classmates. “We gotta make it up to them!” Ruby nodded in agreement.

“Right!” At least she wasn’t the only one who felt guilty about what they had done earlier.

“You want to track everyone down, have fun,” said Bakugo, turning towards the door, “But I’m gonna go destroy that warpy bastard.”

“Our physical attacks didn’t hurt that guy,” said Kirishima. “C’mon, don’t be an idiot, man.” Bakugo groaned, turning towards the redhead.

“Shut up! I’m gonna take him down because he’s their way in and out. If I cut off their escape route, they’ll be stuck here and have to pay for what they’ve done! They’ll just have to figure it out!” It took Ruby a second to figure it out. They could hit him.

“I—!” Ruby was cut off by the sound of a villainous laugh. Uh-oh. From the rafters above, a haelon-like villain finally revealed himself to the children.

“Hope you had fun chit-chatting,” he said before launching himself at the kids, knives drawn. “Too bad you let your guard down—! 

Without even flinching, Bakugo grabbed the villain by the skull and set off a boom. Ruby and Kirishima stared at him.

“Anyway,” said Bakugo, strangely calm as he looked at the villain he had just fried. “If all these villains are small fries like these guys were, then our classmates can handle ‘em.” Kirishima stared at Bakugo with the same awe in his eyes he had earlier.

“That reaction time was insane. Also…” the boy said, grinning and wiping dirt off of his chin. “Since when do you act so calm and rational? Usually you’re all like…”

“An angry pomeranian?” Ruby finished for him.

“Weird that you keep saying that, but pretty spot on.” Bakugo’s signature scowl returned.

“I’m always calm and rational, you red-haired losers!” he yelled, making Ruby flinch at his volume.

“Yeah,” said Kirishima with a short laugh, “there you are.” Bakugo muttered something to himself as he dropped the villain. He stood up.

“Go find the others if you want to.” Bakugo started to walk towards the door. Wait, where was he going?

“Wait, hold up!” Kirishima raced around, blocking Bakugo from leaving. The blonde boy stared at him. “I think what you’re really saying is that you believe in our classmates.” Kirishima hardened his arms before smashing his fists together. “And that’s thinkin’ like a man, Bakugo!” Kirishima had a point. Maybe Bakugo wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

“Tch. Whatever.” He was still extremely rough around the edges, though. Kirishima and Ruby followed after Bakugo as the explosive boy made his way through the building’s ruined halls. Together, they started to search for an exit.

“Okay, so you want to take down the warping guy, right?” Kirishima asked, almost jogging to keep up with Bakugo’s quick pace. They came to a collapsing staircase at the end of the hall.

“Were you not listening at all?!” Bakugo shouted, glancing back as he unintentionally led the other two down the building’s ruined stairs.

“Yeah, but how do you plan to hit him? Like I said, none of our attacks hit him before!” Bakugo groaned out of pure frustration.

“We didn’t hit him right, that’s all that happened! It’s called aiming, dumbass.”

“What?” It was Kirishima’s turn to groan. “He’s made of mist! How can you fight  _ that _ ?!” Ruby picked up her pace a little until she was at the boys’ sides. She shook her head.

“No, Bakugo’s right,” she said, earning a confused look for Kirishima. She sighed, “I mean, we can hurt him. I kicked him, remember? I missed the armor, but my foot did hit something solid.” Kirishima blinked.

“Armor?” he repeated. Ruby nodded.

“Yeah, he had that thick armor around his neck. Why would he be wearing that if he didn't have a body to protect?” Ruby thought about the gear on her legs and boots. “Everyone designs their suits the way they do for a reason. He’s wearing that for the same reason we asked for certain things in our costumes: to protect himself.”

“Says the girl wearing a dress,” Bakugo growled in her direction as they finally found the exit. The trio raced out of the ruined building. They made a break for the central plaza of the USJ and their escape.

“It's a combat skirt!” Ruby fired back.

“Whatever!” She huffed. Now wasn’t the time to be arguing. Now was the time to work together so hey could get themselves and the rest of their class out of the USJ safely. Kirishima groaned at their little spat.

“So if it’s wearing armor, we can hit it?” he summarized, cutting the pair off before anything else could be spat out between them.

“No shit,” said Bakugo. “Red’s right, it has a body.”

Ruby blinked. “I am?”

“Pay attention a little more, will ya?!” Bakugo picked up his pace, using small bursts of explosive force to make himself speed up beyond his normal limits. “There’s more to it!” Ruby raised a brow as she grabbed Kirishima, activating her Quirk so the pair could keep up with Bakugo.

_ What is he talking about…? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, our heroes rush off towards the main event! I think you can see where this is going. But honestly, how many of you thought I was going to put Ruby with Midoriya's group or with Kaminari's? I wanted the chance for her to see Bakugo differently, kind of like how Kirishima did. Unfortunately, due to their rough start, it's going to take a whole lot longer for Ruby to be able to get along with Bakugo... like about a volume or two.
> 
> The only downside to where I placed Ruby is I don't get to show off Aizawa being a badass at all. Which I suppose is a good thing because we also don't get to see him injured. No matter how many times I see that scene, it always makes me cringe from sympathy. Just... ouch.
> 
> Next Time!
> 
> Chapter Eleven: Plus Ultra
> 
> The USJ Incident reaches its climax!
> 
> Go Beyond! Plus... well, you get the idea.


	11. Plus Ultra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only one thing stands in the way of Class 1-A making it to safety. And the kids are ready to fight with their teacher in order to get past it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The following chapter contains violence and blood. I think you can figure out why.
> 
> But here we are! The final fight of USJ! I'm not going to keep you waiting. Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?

Things at U.A. were as normal as ever. And as boring as ever in Yang’s opinion. The class was supposed to be doing joint training with 3-B that day. The afternoon was meant for training. That’s how it had been since their first year. But so far, the two classes had stood around doing nothing after changing for lessons that day. Well, almost. They were told that training was unexpectedly cancelled. Why, Yang didn't know. But it left the afternoon open for the third years to mingle with each other.

Whatever the case was, it didn’t matter. Their teachers hadn't shown up anyway. Both hero course classes were left to their own devices, talking among themselves about the work studies that they would soon be returning to. Or at least that’s what Yang’s friends, all of whom were crowded around her desk, were talking about. Yang was excited about that. She couldn’t have picked a better place to do her work study than in Osaka.

As her mind drifted to thoughts of getting out in the field and being able to stretch her legs again, Yang’s eyes fell out the window. Any daydream she had was broken when she caught sight of the scene playing out in the courtyard below. There was a kid standing at the U.A. gate. He seemed panicked with how frantic his gestures were. He was talking quickly with two teachers, one of which raced back into the building. Yang stared at the boy.

She recognized him from yesterday.

“Hey, guys,” Weiss and Blake glanced over at Yang, who gestured out the window. “Isn’t he in Ruby’s class?” Weiss stepped up to her side.

“I think so,” she said. After a moment, she shook her head. “No, he is.”

“That’s strange. I thought 1-A had their first rescue training session today,” said Blake, lowering the book she had been so focused on up until now and joining the other two. “If he’s here, then the rest of the class should be, too.” Jaune and the rest of their friends joined Yang, Blake and Weiss at the window.

“Do you think something happened?” Jaune asked the others, sounding a little bit worried. A tall girl with long, bright red hair tied into a ponytail and almost neon green eyes took her place beside him at the window. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I'm sure they're fine,” said Pyrrha Nikos. She was doing her best to reassure him, even though she sounded just as concerned as Jaune did.

“You think?” A short girl with cropped orange hair and electric teal eyes popped up next to him.

“Probably just forgot something,” Nora Valkyrie suggested. Besides her, another one her friends shook his head, long black bangs falling into his face as he did so.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” said Lie Ren, magenta gaze focused on the boy outside. Yang glanced his way.

“Are you picking up something from here?” she asked, earning an unfortunate nod from him.

_Lie Ren of Class 3-B, His Quirk: Tranquility._ _This Quirk allows Ren to sense and mask negative emotions, more often than not turning himself invisible to an opponent’s attack. Not only can he do this to himself, but he can also extend his calming aura to others. Using this power, Ren can also sense when others are in danger._

“His fear is strong enough that I can,” continued Ren, before his brow furrowed, “which is concerning.”

“You don’t think that someone got hurt, do you?” Blake asked. Jaune shook his head.

“No, they would only need Recovery Girl if that was the case,” he said. Right… and Yang couldn’t see the school’s nurse down there. So what was…?

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of an alarm ringing out briefly over the P.A. system. The third years fell silent almost immediately, all eyes on the speaker. Yang felt a knot twist in her stomach. This couldn’t be good. There was no way that this was good.

“ _ All teachers please report to the gate immediately. I repeat, all teachers are to report to the front gates immediately, _ ” said a calm but urgent voice over the speaker system. Yang’s heart jumped into her throat. “ _ Students are to remain in their classrooms and await further instructions. _ ” Hearing that announcement, Yang could only think about one thing.

“Ruby.” If that kid was at the gate… then they needed the teachers to help with 1-A. Ruby was in 1-A. And they wouldn’t need that many teachers if something wasn’t wrong. Something had to have been wrong. Which meant that Ruby might just have been in danger.

“Yang!” Jaune shouted as Yang pushed him aside, making a break for the door.

“Tamaki!” Yang heard Mirio Togata, another friend of hers shout as she dashed towards the door. No one in the room had the chance to stop her. It wasn’t like they couldn’t, they could. It was just that something else had stopped Yang before she could even leave the room. The fiery blonde had run smack into the cane of one of their teachers as her friends caught up to her. Yang stumbled back into Mirio and Jaune. Ozpin lowered his cane, standing in the doorway and barring her from any further attempts at escape.

“Looks as if my intuition was right…” he muttered out loud.

“Yang, are you okay?” Blake asked as the two blondes behind her helped Yang to stand again.

“Yeah…” Yang replied with a nod. She looked up at the teacher who had stopped her. Her initial panic had settled, but still remained. “Mr. Ozpin, what’s going on? Where are all the teachers going?”

“There was an incident at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint,” explained Ozpin, oddly calm. Blake bristled besides Yang. Oh no, that’s where they were, wasn’t it? It had to have been Otherwise, why would that kid be at the gate?! “That’s all you need to—”

“Isn’t there a class being taught there right now?” said Nejire Hadou, the next to final member of Yang’s extended friend group within her class. Her talkative nature was not helping here.

Much to Yang’s dismay, Ozpin nodded. “Yes. We have been assured that the students are fine. The teachers will be back with—”

“Why aren’t you with them?!” said Nora, raising her voice to the point where it was a borderline shout.

“I’m the only one who can protect the school when they’re not here.” Right… Yang almost forgot about his Quirk for a moment. His may have been defense oriented, but Yang’s was not.

“If you can’t, then we—” Yang tried to go forward again, this time with a few other U.A. third years behind her. Ozpin merely stuck out his cane to keep them back. He didn’t move from his place in the doorway either. Yang felt Mirio take a step forward.

“I can see it in your eyes, Togata. Don’t even think about it.” Mirio stepped back. Yang was starting to lose it. Mirio should do it. His Quirk would easily let him pass. Even if he didn’t get out, it would cause a big enough distraction for someone to. But no, that wasn’t the case.

“Come on!” Yang said with a frustrated groan, fingers digging into her long hair and ready to tear it out. “Let us through!” Tamaki Amajiki, the final member of Yang’s extended friend group made his way over to where the group was standing.

“You heard the announcement,” said Tamaki, a hand on Mirio’s arm. “The students are supposed to stay in class.”

“Listen to your friend, Miss Xiao Long. He’s right,” Ozpin said with a solemn glint in his eye. “You are to remain here where it’s safe.”

“But it’s not safe where my sister is!” Yang brought up, feeling her heartbeat quicken. Her baby sister was in danger. This whole situation felt all too familiar for her liking. “I need to go with the teachers! I need to make sure that she’s okay!”

“My apologies, Miss Xiao Long. I understand that you all have a connection to a certain member of 1-A, but you will have to wait here. It’s for your own safety.” Yang felt something twist around her heart, making it hard to breathe. “The second that you are able to see your sister, I promise that I will let you know.”

“But—” Ozpin raised his hand, cutting Yang off.

“All we can do now is wait and hope that the teachers there have a decent grasp on the situation and that no one else is hurt.” Ozpin stepped away from the door, giving one last bit of instruction before leaving the third years in wait: “Amajiki, Ren: keep your friends in line.”

Tamaki simply nodded. Ren put his hand on Yang’s shoulder, gently pulling her away from the door.

_Right… Ruby has Aizawa with her. He can protect them…_ _He’ll keep Ruby safe…_ She felt the calming presence of Ren’s Quirk wash over her. _Please let her be safe…!_

* * *

There were very few villains waiting for the three outside of the building they had found themselves in. The combined forces of Kirishima, Ruby and Bakugo dispatched them all easily. The trio made their escape out of the ruins and ran into the plaza. Even though there were unconscious villains scattered about on the ground, a fight was still going on. She could see the man made of mist there, as well as another man who had disembodied hands covering him and obscuring his face.

Ruby couldn’t stop the grin forming when she saw who else was fighting. One of the teachers had somehow come to their rescue. All Might was there, and relief made Ruby’s grin grew wider when she saw Midoriya not too far behind them. However, all of that faded when her mind finally processed the entire scene.

A large, muscular creature with a bird-like face had All Might pulled through a swirling black hole and out another one not too far away. The closer they got, Ruby recognized it as one of the portals that the man made of mist who had scattered Class 1-A could create. Midoriya was rushing over to the hero, probably to help. The mist man opened another portal to cut him off. At the speed he was going, Midoriya wouldn’t be able to stop in time. He was about to get sent who knows where if someone didn’t do something.

“Get the hell outta my way, Deku!” shouted Bakugo. Both he and Ruby reacted in record time. Ruby sped up, leaving petals in her wake as she tackled Midoriya. Both students were sent skidding across the concrete and out of harm’s way. Bakugo, however, made good on his earlier promise. He blasted the man made of mist with an explosion from his palm. He pinned him to the ground, a hand pressed firmly on the armor the man wore.

“Rose?!” Midoriya exclaimed as Ruby rolled off of him. She stood up quickly, brushing dust off of her skirt with one hand and with the other held out to Midoriya.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah! Thanks!” Ruby grabbed his wrist and pulled him up. Together, they looked back at the scene. Ice had crept up on the Nomu, freezing it in place and stopping just before it hit All Might. Wait, ice? Why would there be… Ruby followed the ice to the person who was responsible.

“Todoroki!” True enough, Shouto Todoroki was standing at the end of the ice trail, his eyes narrowed and his expression fierce.

“One of your poorly trained thugs told me you’re here because you think you can kill All Might,” he said, his voice and gaze as cold as the ice he had just produced. Ruby’s eyes widened, and her heart sank. They were going to do what? Thanks to Todoroki’s intervention, All Might was able to loosen the grip the villain had on him. He pried the monster’s hands away, freeing himself and jumping towards his students’ sides. As soon as he landed, however, a hand flew to the side of his stomach.

“Are you okay?” Midoriya asked, sounding far from a bit worried. Their teacher didn’t answer. Ruby’s eyes went wide as she spotted the red stain that All Might was attempting to hide.

_ He’s bleeding…! _ There was a yell. Ruby snapped back to attention as Kirishima, his body hard as stone, came down from above. He rushed down towards the hand man in an attempt to smash him. Unfortunately he missed as the stranger dodged. Kirishima withdrew as soon as he landed on the ground, jumping back to the safety of his classmates’ sides.

“Damn!” Kirishima groaned. “That was gonna be cool!”

“Guess I found your body that time, ya smokey bastard!” said Bakugo, pressing his palm down further on the man’s armored neck. Ruby smirked.

“Told ya!” she said, “I was right!” Bakugo tossed a glare her way before returning his attention to holding down the villain.

Todoroki followed his ice trail until he stood beside his classmates. “The Symbol of Peace will not be defeated by delinquents like you.”

“Kacchan! Everyone!” said Midoriya, sounding relieved as tears brimmed his eyes. He wiped them away. Then, the four turned five as Midoriya stood alongside them, raw determination on his face. All of them against the two villains.

“Kurogiri,” said the man wearing hands to the man made of mist, obviously not pleased with what had just happened. Kurogiri? “How could you let this brat get the best of you? You’ve gotten us into a real jam here.”

Bakugo let out a short snicker. “You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn’t hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into that smoking warp gate. You use that mist to hide your actual body, as a kind of distraction, thinking that made you safe! That’s why two of us missed! But the third didn’t! You’re not immune to physical attacks if they’re well-aimed.” The mist man, Kurogiri, grunted as he tried to push himself back up. Bakugo set off tiny pops against his armor, keeping him in place as he leaned in closer. “Don’t move! You try anything funny, and I’ll blow your ass up right now, you got it? They’ll be cleanin’ you up for weeks.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound very heroic,” teased Kirishima. Bakugo said nothing. There was a moment, tense and thick in the air. The villains were just about cornered. They should just give up now. 

The other side acted first.

“Nomu,” said the hand-man, his voice raspy and dry. The creature… Nomu, Ruby guessed, let out a screech. He fell back through the warp gate, allowing it to close without any harm coming to himself. Or at least, that’s what should have happened. As soon as the monster was out, its frozen limbs broke, throwing him off his balance and making it fall to the floor. It let out a cry as it struggled to stand.

“How is that thing still moving?” Midoriya muttered loud enough for his classmate to hear. “He’s all messed up.”

“Stay back, everybody!” All Might ordered. Each of the kids did as they were told. They watched in horror as the monster’s stumps started to form new muscle and sinew and skin. Ruby clasped a hand over her mouth. It was regenerating its lost limbs.

Ruby only had one thought.  _ How?! _

Not even All Might seemed to expect this. “What is this? I thought you said his power was shock absorption.

“I didn’t say that was his only Quirk,” said the young man wearing disembodied hands. “He also has super-regeneration. Nomu has been modified to take you on even at 100% of your power. He’s basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back.” The kids shifted their positions, getting into defensive stances. They were going to have to fight this thing at this rate. “First, we need to free our method of escape. Get him, Nomu.” 

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Nomu followed his master's orders, rushing towards Bakugo. It collided with him, with the rest of the students being pushed back by the fore of the blow. There was a loud thud, and a thick cloud of dust rose from the collision. They couldn’t see what had hit what though.

“Such force,” Midoriya muttered before letting out a gasp. The monster had Kurogiri in one hand. And Bakugo… “Kacchan!” As the dust from the attack settled, Ruby caught sight of Bakugo sitting right next to Midoriya. Wait, what? How?! “Kacchan? Whoa, that’s awesome, you dodged him!”

“Shut up, no I didn’t,” said Bakugo, looking slightly stunned from what just happened, “you damn nerd.”

“Then how’d you get over here?” Kirishima asked as he helped Bakugo back onto his feet, even if the latter threw him off.

“Isn’t it obvious?” said Todoroki. Ruby didn’t figure it out until the dust settled. 

“All Might!” cried out Midoriya. Thrown up against one of the walls that separated the USJ’s zones was All Might, having taken the brunt of the attack in order to protect Bakugo. The wall behind him was smashed. And the hero did not look pleased.

“These are kids,” he said, face screwed up in anger, “and you didn’t hold back?!”

“I didn’t have much choice. He was threatening my companion,” said the hand-wearing man, eyes boring holes into All Might. “Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain-looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed-out punch.” Plain looking one…? Ruby’s eyes widened as she glanced over at Midoriya. Wait, his arm wasn’t broken, though. Did he even try to…? Even if Midoriya did, he would never try to kill someone. He didn’t seem like the type of person to do that.

“What kind of ‘hero’ does something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others. Well, you now what, All Might? That pisses me off,” the man went on, each statement filled with venom and spite. They were the ramblings of a madman. “Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgement as to what’s ‘good’ and what’s ‘evil’. You think you’re the Symbol of Peace?” The madman laughed. “You’re just another government-sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence. I’ll make sure the world understands that once you’re dead.”

“You’re nothing but a lunatic,” stated All Might as he pushed himself to stand. “Criminals like you… you always try and make your actions sound noble. But admit it; you’re only doing this because you like it. Isn’t that right?” 

The man said nothing. The kids stared at the enemy. Even though his speech made her sick to her stomach, Ruby still ran through every defense maneuver she knew in her head. This guy… they didn’t have much of a choice, did they? If what the boys said next indicated anything...

“We’ve got them outnumbered,” said Todoroki, the air noticeably getting colder around him.

“And Kacchan found the mist guy’s weakness,” Midoriya added.

“With Rose’s help, yeah,” Kirishima explained, giving Midoriya a small glance before returning his focus to the villains. “These dudes may act really tough, but we can take ‘em down now with All Might’s help.” He hardened his arms, determination taking root on his face. “Let’s do this.” Their teacher had other ideas.

“Don’t attack,” All Might ordered. “Get out of here.” The students stared at him. What?

“You would’ve been in trouble earlier if it weren’t for me, remember?” said Todoroki, his hand already coating itself with frost. “You need our help.” Not to mention, even if he was the number one hero, he was still outnumbered three to one on his own.

“I thank you for your assistance, but this is different. It’s gonna be alright,” All Might turned to the villains in front of him. “Just sit back and watch a pro at work.”

“But you’re too hurt. You’re bleeding,” said Midoriya. “And you’re almost out of ti—” He cut himself off with a glance towards his classmates. Out of what? The only thing that All Might did was flash him a thumbs-up. The hero took on a defensive stance as the man covered in hands came running towards the children. All five of them mimicked their teacher.

“Heads up,” said Kirishima, voice a bit hesitant, “we’re fightin’ after all.”

“Think we can take ‘em?” Ruby asked, casting a glance over at the boys as she dug her heel into the ground.

“Not like we have a choice,” muttered Todoroki just loud enough for her to catch. Much to the children's surprise, however, the man coming at them stopped when All Might rushed towards Nomu and vice versa. Their fists met, and the force of it shook the entire building. Everyone was pushed back by the shockwave.

“Weren’t you listening?!” shouted the man wearing hands, “One of his powers is shock absorption!”

“Yeah? What about it?” All Might shouted right back as he hit Nomu again. He met each hit the monster threw at him in speed and power until their fight was nothing but a blur of fists. The shockwave of each blow created such a strong wind whose force alone was a problem. The kids were having trouble not getting blown back by it.

“He’s gonna fight that brain guy head on?!” said Midoriya, slightly horrified as he dropped into the ground to try and keep himself from being thrown back. From beside him, Bakugo did the same.

“Whoa, they’re…” said Kirishima, letting out a gasp as he almost fell over, hardening his skin to keep himself in place, “...so fast!”

The ground underneath All Might and Nomu started to break as the hero fought back twice as hard as Ruby had ever seen before. All Might was no longer holding back against the monster, not even when it struck his side. They were fighting in earnest, tearing up the USJ’s plaza as they exchanged heavy blows. 

Ruby watched, wide-eyed in amazement as the fought at such an incredible speed that the shockwaves they were creating kept anyone from getting closer. The girl let out a yelp as a particularly strong one knocked her off of her feet. Todoroki caught her by the wrist before she could get far enough out of reach. He spun her over to Kirishima, who had hardened his legs to keep himself in place. The redhead kept a steady hold on the girl.

Ruby twisted around in his arms to watch the rest of the fight. All Might had thrown the Nomu to the ground, swiftly landing with enough force to make the monster bounce back up. He was saying something, but whatever it was, Ruby wasn’t quite sure. But as he reared back a tightly clenched fist, rippling with energy, Ruby was able to hear one thing:

“ _ PLUS ULTRA! _ ” All Might cried out, landing one more powerful blow to the Nomu. That was all that was needed. Nomu was sent flying through the roof of the USJ with that powerful smash. Ruby’s eyes shone brightly as sunlight streamed in through the hole he created, and All Might came back towards the ground and his students, hitting the ground in the cloud of dust he had made. Even with all the fights she had seen, that had been one of the most epic battles she had witnessed. And probably the only one.

“That was like the finishing move in a video game,” Kirishima said, breaking the awe-stricken silence that had fallen across him and his classmates. He let Ruby go as the dust settled around them. “He beat the shock absorption right out of him. I’ve never seen that kind of brute strength! Imagine having power like that…”

“He must’ve been punching that monster so fast, he couldn’t regenerate,” muttered Bakugo.

“That was amazing…” said Ruby, her eyes shining bright before she called out: “Way to go, All Might!”

“I really have gotten weaker,” said All Might as the smoke around him cleared. “Back in my heyday, five hits woulda been enough to knock that guy out.” He stood up straight, a hand over his heart as he faced his students. “But today, it took more than three hundred mighty blows.” Ruby grinned. As always, All Might had won. Victory and safety was theirs.

“You’ve been bested, villains. Surrender. We all want to get this over quickly,” All Might continued, turning towards the villains. The young man with the hands were shaking at this point, scratching furiously at his skin. But other than that, he had no move. “What’s wrong? Not attacking me? Didn’t you say you were goin to clear this level earlier?” Well, come and get me, if you dare.”

“Man, this is…” Bakugo muttered, “intense.”

“As I expected. There’s no reason for us to fight now,” said Todoroki with a short sigh. “He’ll handle this.” He started to head towards the exit, where they were most likely safest now that the warping villain was no longer there. Maybe they could even get out now.

“Come on, Midoriya. We should regroup with the other guys,” said Kirishima, nudging his classmate’s arm to try and get his attention. Midoriya was far too fixated on the fight to notice that they were leaving. “The last thing we want is to get taken hostage or get in his way.” But all Midoriya did was stare at All Might. The villain’s supposed leader was panicking, furiously scratching at himself so much that Ruby could see blood underneath his fingernails.

“If only Nomu was here… he’d rush you right now,” he hissed, “Pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought!” Kurogiri, perhaps sensing how frantic his cohort was, turned to him and was just about ready to jump between the man and All Might.

“Tomura Shigaraki! Please, do not fret. Look at him. He has definitely weakened. Nomu’s attacks were successful. He’s on his own. The children appear to be frozen in fear. And look, our underlings are recovering,” he said. Ruby glanced over her shoulder. Oh no. “We likely still have a few minutes before their reinforcements arrive. If you and I work together, we can do this. We haven’t missed our chance to kill All Might.” The younger man… Shigaraki appeared to calm down at Kurogiri’s words. He stopped scratching himself at least.

_ It’s like he’s a little kid…  _ Ruby thought as the lower level grunts that she guessed Mr. Aizawa had taken out before probably going off somewhere else stood. As Kurogiri said, they had recovered enough to fight again.

“I think All Might can hold his own against those two main guys,” said Kirishima, hardening both of his arms. “Let’s make sure these dudes don't hurt anybody else.” Todoroki glanced over his shoulder at Midoriya.

“Will you be joining us?” he asked. Midoriya said nothing. He stared, wide-eyed at the villains and the hero. His uncovered hand balled up into a fist. Everything happened in a flash.

“Midoriya!” Ruby called out as both Shigaraki and Kurogiri rushed All Might. Where Midoriya once stood was nothing but a cloud of dust. The boy had used his Quirk for a boost in speed, jumping towards All Might. Ruby could see his legs moving uselessly behind him.

“Whoa, Midoriya!” shouted Kirishima.

“Don’t touch All Might!” Midoriya yelled, his fist clenched tight and glowing with the strength of his power. “YOU STUPID VILLAIN!” He was prepared to smash Kurogiri into the ground. Before he could even lay a hand on the villain, another swirling portal opened in front of him. Shiaragki’s hand came through, getting dangerously close to Izuku’s face. Ruby felt her chest tighten.

“IZUKU!” Ruby cried out, panic filling her chest. Kirishima grabbed her arm to keep her from following after Midoriya. No, no, no!

Before Shigaraki could make contact with Izuku, there was the sound of a gunshot. Something grazed his hand, and his blood splattered on the ground. His hand fell away, and Midoriya dropped onto the ground and away from him.

The group of students stared. What just happened? They turned in the direction that the shot had come in. Kirishima let go of Ruby’s arm. The girl herself grinned. 

“Sorry, everyone! I know we’re a bit late,” called out U.A.’s principal. “But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could.” True enough, standing at the top of the USJ’s staircase with the principal were the teachers of U.A. And standing alongside them was none other than Tenya Iida.

“Your class rep has returned!” Iida shouted, sweat on his forehead and a wide grin from where he stood besides the teachers. “I’ve fulfilled my duty, and I’ve brought reinforcements! “

“Way to go, Iida!” Ruby cried out, jumping up on her toes. Even if Iida couldn’t hear her, Ruby really didn’t care. He had been a hero that day, and brought the help the rest of the class so desperately needed.

The group of villains ditched their attempts to take down the kids. They instead rushed up the stairs in an attempt to fight back against the teachers. As if they thought that was a good idea. The first teacher to break away from the rest was Present Mic. From her place in the center of USJ, Ruby could see that his usual upbeat expression had been traded in for one of anger.

She covered her ears immediately as the voice hero let out an intense scream. The villains reeled in pain from the paralyzing sound, letting another teacher activate their own power. Ectoplasm — one of the few teachers who hid their faces — opened his mouth. A wave of the ectoplasm he was aptly named for came out of his mouth, transforming into clones of the man. The clones beat back the villains, knockin them down the stairs and into the comrades that were smart enough to stay at the bottom.

Shigaraki stepped back, getting closer to Kurogiri’s warp gate and his own escape. The teachers still were having none of that. Pro Hero Snipe, another masked man who had a firearm on hand, took aim. He fired multiple shots, each bullet hitting either one of Shigaraki’s limbs. The man crumpled to the ground. Kurogiri twisted around him, shielded him the best he could from the gunfire.

Just before the villain could activate his warp gates, an unknown force to pull the mist right off of him. Almost like something was vacuuming up… Ruby recognized that Quirk. It was Black Hole. She turned to the stairs

_ Thirteen!  _ Sero stood there beside the rescue hero, whose hand was extended. He propped them up, allowing Thirteen to do what they were trying to do earlier and stop Kurogiri. But still, it wasn’t enough. The villain managed to open a warp gate, using whatever remaining mist he could to keep it open.

“I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered,” said Shigaraki, spitting out one more threat as Kurogiri’s mist swirled around him. His eyes burned with anger. “All Might. Symbol of Peace. I am going to kill you.” And like that, the two villains were gone.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Ruby could feel her legs shaking as her adrenaline high started to ebb away. She only came back to reality when Kirishima called Midoriya’s name and rushed over to him. She looked over. Izuku was on the ground with his legs bent at angles they shouldn’t have been in. Yeah… he definitely used his Quirk. 

“If all the pro teachers are gathered here, it must mean the rest of the school’s safe,” said Todoroki. He let out a sigh, exhaling a bit of steam as he wrung his hand over the back of his neck. “The villains attacked his facility, but not the rest of the campus.”

Ruby let out a sigh of her own. If it was just them that were attacked, then that meant her friends and sister in the other class were safe. And now she was as well. It was only then that a certain thought crept up on Ruby. They had to be worried about her if they knew what was going on at the USJ. Which boiled down to one inevitable fact.

_ Oh crap, I’m going to be crushed like a grape…! _

“Hey!” Ruby turned. Kirishima was running back towards them. Alone. Cementoss, another one of the U.A. teachers, was standing where All Might and Midoriya once were. A concrete wall kept Ruby from seeing the latter two. “He said for all of us to head to the entrance!”

“Is Midoriya—?” Ruby got her answer in the form of a short nod.

“You know him,” said Kirishima. “If he can walk off breaking his arms, then he’ll be okay.” She guessed… Kirishima, Todoroki and Bakugo started to make their way towards the entrance. Ruby threw one last glance at the wall. She followed after the rest of her classmates where the remaining teachers who hadn’t fanned out across the facility were waiting for them.

The fight was over. And they made it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks. The USJ attack has come to an end! I'm sorry for the lack of original content here compared to the last chapter. This one was mostly observational. 
> 
> The AU also now has a TV Tropes page if anyone wants to check that out!
> 
> Next time:
> 
> Chapter Twelve: Aftermath
> 
> The finale of volume 1.
> 
> What, you didn't think I was going to stop here, did you? No way. A lot of people enjoy this fic. I feel like you guys would want me to continue with it.  
> ... that and I already have about half of the Sports Festival scripted.


	12. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things calm down and adrenaline fades. However... things look like they're just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! The finale for volume 1! As I've stated before, I will be continuing on with this crossover. I'll start posting V2 as soon as I have the Sports Festival arc finished.
> 
> As that is now stated, I want to thank everyone who left comments, kudos and just overall encouraged me to keep going. I honestly think self-deprecation would've gotten the better for me if it weren't for that. So thank you all so much for your support! It really means a lot to me.
> 
> Now on with the finale! There're no warnings this time, except maybe a bit of blood. And fluff. But those two things are seperate.

Ruby Rose, Katsuki Bakugo, Eijirou Kirishima and Shouto Todoroki were some of the first students to be escorted out of the USJ by a few of the teachers. The rest of the staff were quickly spreading out throughout the facility, searching for villains and for the rest of Class 1-A.

The police were outside, along with a few ambulances and paramedics that were tending to the students, looking for and treating any injury. It didn't seem to be necessary, though. Everyone that was standing outside of the USJ looked fine. Ruby felt that tension unwind from her body. Her classmates were okay. They had made it out just fine. And if they were fine, then that meant…

Ruby began to weave in and out of the small crowd that had formed, calling for her friends. It wasn’t hard. Iida was among the taller of the students, and the glint from his armor made him a beacon. Ruby felt relief wash over her when she spotted Ochako besides him.

“Ochako!” she called out, rushing up to her friends. “Iida!”

“Ruby!” The zero gravity girl caught Ruby, stumbling back as bit as her speedy classmate wrapped her arms tightly around her.

Ruby pulled back almost immediately “Are you guys okay?!” Ochako swiftly nodded.

“We’re just fine.” said Iida, scanning the smaller girl for any sort of visible injury. “And you?” Ruby nodded.

“Thanks to Bakugo and Kirishima. I ended up in the collapse zone with them.” She glanced over at the redhead and the blonde, the latter of whom was oddly quiet and looking back at the USJ. “It’s weird. Bakugo was actually calm for once. So, where were you guys?”

“We escaped the warpgate, so we were still at the entrance…” Iida looked over at the girl beside him. “If it weren’t for Uraraka, I would have never made it out and gotten the teachers.”

“It wasn’t just me,” said Ochako, finally having gotten her breath back. “It was all of us working together. “

“But you were the one who instigated it. You saved me.” A faint pink fell across Ochako’s face along with a semi-nervous grin.

“I-I guess…” Ochako glanced at the people who made up the crowd. Her flustered expression fell away into one of confusion as she raised a brow.

“Something wrong?” Ruby asked.

“Have you seen Deku? He’s the only one who isn’t here.” Ruby looked around. She was right. Midoriya was nowhere in sight. Not even by the few paramedics that remained at the scene.

“I didn’t see him come out either,” Iida added and eyes fell on Ruby. It took her a second to figure out why.

“Oh. Uh… Midoriya was… well, Midoriya,” said Ruby, not really sure how to explain it any other way. “I think he hurt himself using his power again. I didn’t see him after he jumped in to protect All Might. I’m not sure how badly he was hurt, though… I didn’t see the teachers carry him out. But it’s Midoriya! He’ll be fine.” Iida let out a sigh.

“It’s been four days,” he said, soundly slightly exasperated, “and already he’s broken a bone during three of them.” Well… he wasn’t wrong.

“A really amazing power…” muttered Ochako. “Must suck to have to deal with that every time he uses it.” Iida only nodded in agreement. Ruby shrugged.

“Yeah, even if he did save us with it, I don’t think Mr. Aizawa’s gonna let him live it down,” she said, and now that she had said that out loud… Ruby glanced around the crowd. “Uh… speaking of which, where are Thirteen and Mr. Aizawa?” Neither of her friends said anything. It took her a moment to realize what exactly had happened to their teachers. “A-Are they…?”

“No!” said Ochako quickly. “They’re alive, but… um…” She exchanged a look with Iida. He sighed.

“By the time I left, Thirteen was already in bad shape,” Iida explained in her place, casting his gaze to the ground. “And I’m sad to say when I returned, Mr. Aizawa was in a far worse state then them. He wasn’t even conscious.” Ruby covered her mouth, feeling her stomach twist. “I’m sure that they’ll be fine. We just have to trust the paramedics will help them pull through.”

“R-Right!” said Ruby with a nod. She glanced over at the villains. Eraserhead always seemed like a tough hero to beat from the few things she heard about him, especially with a Quirk like his. What villain took him down and beat him so much? She stared at the criminals, handcuffed and being loaded into one of the vans the police had brought with them. She locked eyes with one certain one as he was brought out of USJ.

Roman Torchwick bore holes into her, dried blood staining the side of his head along with an impressive burn. He sneered in her direction. Ruby felt the color drain from her face. She quickly turned away, directing her gaze to the ground. Something in her stomach made it churn worse. He had come after her. Her specifically. It wasn’t a coincidence that he was there. Torchwick got involved in this or some other reason, and Ruby felt like that reason was her.

Which meant that she probably put all of her classmates in even more danger than they should have been in. There was the possibility that the attack never would’ve happened if she wasn’t a part of the class. Would it? Or would it still happen? All that she knew is that being a part of Class 1-A probably made the attack a lot worse than it could’ve been.

“Ruby, are you sure you’re okay?” asked Ochako. Ruby quickly nodded.

“Um, yeah! I am. Just uh…” she laughed out of nervousness. “Just the adrenaline rush going away.”

“Seventeen… eighteen… nineteen… twenty. Everyone seems to be unharmed except for that boy whose legs were all messed up.” Ruby heard one of the few detectives that had arrived with the police say nearby. He turned to one of his colleagues. “Let’s go and get these students back to the main campus. They’ve been through a lot. We don’t need to question them right away.”

But the students, however, had questions of their own.

“Detective,” Tsuyu hopped forward, worry and concern on her face as he caught the man’s attention. “What about Mr. Aizawa?”

The detective answered that with a simple call to the hospital. Apparently, their teachers had already been transported there as soon as the paramedics arrived. Their injuries were examined and dealt with in a flash. One of the paramedics who had taken care of Mr. Aizawa was more than content to relay to his class his current state.

“ _The bones in his arms are splintered and he’s got some facial fracturing. Fortunately there doesn’t seem to be any serious brain damage,_ ” said the paramedic on the other end of the line after the detective explained the situation. “ _But, his orbital floor has been almost completely destroyed. We have no way of knowing if his eyesight will be impaired once he’s healed up._ ”

“Well,” said the detective as he hung up the phone, “you heard the man.” Ruby bit her lip. Mr. Aizawa….She kept her fingers crossed that he was going to be okay. He had fought to protect them. If he couldn’t use his eyes anymore, then he’d lose access to his Quirk. He shouldn’t have to pay such a high price for doing what was right. But… She sighed. The important thing was that he was alive. That’s all that mattered now.

“Um, sir,” said Ashido, her worried expression she had now having a strange place on her usually upbeat face, “what about Thirteen?”

“There’s no need to worry there,” said the detective. “Despite some pretty bad lacerations to the back, Thirteen is gonna pull through, good as new.” The entire group of students sighed. Despite their injuries, their teachers were going to be just fine. “And All Might is also without any serious injuries. He’s in the nurse’s office right now. Recovery Girl’s power should be all the treatment he needs.”

Well, the teachers were fine. That was for certain. But that left only one other person that three students of 1-A desperately wanted to know the status of.

“What about Deku?!” said Ochako, worry on her face as she approached the detective.

“How’s Midoriya?!” Iida asked, stepping up alongside her. 

Ruby stepped in line with them. “Is he okay?!” The detective stared at the three students.

“Midoriy—” he muttered to himself before finally understanding who they were asking about. “Ah, Recovery Girl is taking care of him, too. He’s fine.” That was a weight off of all of their shoulders.

“Oh thank goodness,” Ochako sighed. The detective ushered the children towards the bus that had been patiently waiting out front since the afternoon began. The teachers and the police would take care of everything else from there. The students of Class 1-A were to return to the main campus and rest after the traumatic day they had.

But nerves kept Ruby from calming down on the bus ride back to the school. How was she going to explain this? What exactly was she going to tell her sister? Her dad? They had to have known about this by now. Everyone should have. She swallowed down something in her throat, keeping quiet as she tried to work out what to say and what to do in her head.

Ruby had been so lost in thought that she didn’t notice they had arrived back at U.A. until Kaminari tapped her shoulder with a small zap (which had been accidental, he apologized immediately after when she yelped). The girl bit down on her lip, trying to come up with something to say quickly to keep everyone calm. Maybe start off by telling them that she was fine right off the bat?

 _Yeah…_ Ruby thought to herself as she finally stepped off of the bus. _That sounds like it might work..._

“RUBY!” That voice... “RUBY!” Ruby looked at the school. A group of seven students were rushing out of the building as fast as they could possibly move. Ruby saw Ozpin standing at the door, watching them go. And at the head of the pack, with tears in her eyes was Yang Xiao Long.

“YANG!” Ruby cried out. So much emotion overwhelmed her at once. She broke away from the rest of her class and through U.A.’s gates. She had been so scared… and now that peace had returned, so did the anxiety Ruby had been pushing down during the fight. She activated her Quirk and ran up to her sister.

“Ruby!” Ruby jumped into her sister’s arms, nearly knocking the blonde over. Yang wrapped Ruby in a tight embrace, as if she was holding onto her for dear life. The rest of the third years caught up with the sisters, each looking relieved to see the small girl safe and sound.

“Are you okay?” asked Weiss, wrapping her arms just as tightly around Ruby as Yang did.

“I'm fine,” Ruby reassured them as even more people joined in on the hug. Who they were, Ruby couldn’t quite see, but she had a pretty good guess. “I'm fine!”

“Don’t scare us like that,” said Blake, her cat ears pressed flat against her head.

“What happened?” Jaune asked, and Ruby could feel some of the bruises on her body starting to fade. ...was Jaune using his Quirk on her? ...Oh wow, yeah, he was. Did he think her injuries were that bad?

“Some villains attacked the USJ, but—” said Ruby. She was cut off by someone else running into the hug pile, and the pile getting tighter on Pyrrha and Yang’s ends. Nora had dove in and felt like she had just activated her Quirk with how tight she was squeezing.

“Are you okay?!” she asked. Even though she couldn’t generate it herself, Ruby could feel the field of static around Nora, having given the girl a decent shock as she barrelled into her.

“They didn’t hurt you at all, right?” said Ren, right beside Nora. Only his hand reached Ruby’s shoulder.

“No, no. I’m okay…” Ruby tried to pull away, only to be brought in closer. She felt Ren’s calming aura wash over her, and she sighed. Her legs finally had stopped shaking. She tried to pull away again, this time successfully. “I’m okay!”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said she was your little sister,” said Ochako. The group almost all pulled away from Ruby, with Yang being the only exception. the rest of the class was filing off of the bus now, and a few were starstruck by the sudden rush of third years to their speedster classmate. Ren broke away from the group first.

“You’re the one who ran all the way here, correct?” he asked Iida. The armored boy opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. He shut it, settling for a short nod instead. Ren gave a small bow in his direction. “Thank you for your bravery.”

“Uh, no need…” Iida stammered out. Whatever was said next, Ruby wasn’t sure. She was still wound tightly in Yang’s hold. She could feel tears dripping down onto her cheeks that weren’t her own.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay…” said Yang, choking on her own soft cries. The whole thing had scared her just about as badly as it did Ruby. Ruby sighed, giving her sister a small squeeze. She was here, this was real. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“Thanks, Yang…” Ruby muttered loud enough for only Yang to hear.

“For what?”

“For teaching me to aim for the face.” There was a pause. Oh no, did she say something wrong? 

Much to Ruby’s relief, Yang laughed. She buried her face into her sister’s hair as the first years crowded around the third years. Ruby could hear faint bits of conversation between them and the police, but she didn’t care. Ruby just melted into her sister’s arms. After all that she went through that afternoon, she was just happy to be back in a familiar place… safe and sound.

* * *

Cinder Fall hated making house calls. However, here, it was necessary. The kingpin had decided to put his plans into play, and the Queen wasn’t going to sit back and let him do this without having her eye on it. Which is why she had been sent here the moment that pawn was sent out to the U.A. school grounds. To see if he was successful in taking down the Symbol of Peace.

She doubted that he would be. Cinder barely batted an eye when the swirling black warpgate appeared in the bar. Instead of Tomura Shigaraki walking out victorious, the young man was almost thrown to the ground. He fell harshly on the floor. Blood began to pool underneath his limbs.

“Ow…” Tomura muttered under his breath as Kurogiri stepped out of the gate, sealing the portal behind him.

“Shot in both arms and legs… all of those criminals wiped out,” said Cinder, tracing a finger over her cup's rim. “Even that creature you so perfectly crafted was beaten. You failed.” She sighed, leaning back against the bar and taking her drink in hand. Burning red eyes stared up at her. “How disappointing, Tomura.”

“You…” The fallen man grit his teeth as he tried to push himself up. With his injuries, he couldn’t. Tomura was left with no choice but to look up at Cinder… as it should be. “Who the hell are you…?”

“Someone interested in what your doing,” said Cinder, casting a cold glare down at him. “So be on your best behavior.” Before things could turn more tense, a voice from the monitor in the room broke what was already there.

“She’s here on behalf of our associate,” explained the pawn who called himself a master. “She wanted to see how well the plan would go.” And she wasn’t going to be too pleased with the outcome… even if it was the one that she expected. Cinder sipped from the glass in hand.

“And as I see it, you were crushed like a bug,” she said, placing the glass on the bar. That only seemed to make the wounded man angrier. Cinder clicked her tongue as she looked at the failures before her. They were missing one. She could probably guess why, recalling what had happened a few months before. “Though… I’ll admit, we were expecting… more from Roman. If it weren’t for that personal grudge of his, then he might be standing here with us right now. It was just a girl… and yet he went after her because of how fragile his pride really is.”

What a fool. He deserved to be in prison, that Quirkless idiot.

“Those kids were so strong,” Tomura lamented, still struggling to get up. He should just stay on the floor. This was starting to become sad to watch. “And the Symbol of Peace wasn’t weakened at all. You were wrong, Master. So wrong!”

“No, I wasn’t,” said the master on the other end of the call. Though he was calmer, Cinder could pick up on the disappointment and irritation in his tone. “We just weren’t as prepared as we should’ve been.”

“I agree. We underestimated them,” said a voice the Cinder did not recognize over the monitor’s other side. “Thankfully, we failed under that cheap ‘League of Villains’ name and not our own. And what about the creature the Master and I created? Where is Nomu?”

“Yes,” said the Master, “why is he not with you?” Tomura remained silent.

“He was blown away,” Kurogiri explained in Tomura’s place.

“ _What?!_ ” exclaimed the unknown voice. Cinder just took another sip from her glass. Someone sounded upset.

“It was All Might’s doing. Without coordinates to his precise location, I couldn’t use my warp to bring him with us.” Kurogiri took a step towards the screen, as if to try to block Tomura from view. “ We didn't have any time to search for him.”

“This is a travesty!” shouted the stranger in anger. “After all we did to make him as powerful as All Might.” The master heavily sighed on the other end.

“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped,” he said, not doing an ounce to hide his disappointment in his underling. “Unfortunately.”

“That reminds me,” said Tomura, drawing Cinder’s attention to his pitiful spot on the floor. “There was a kid there who tried to protect All Might. He was just as fast as him. If he hadn’t gotten in our way,” Tomura began to dig his nails into the floor, “we might have killed the Symbol of Peace. That brat… That brat!” She could see the fury in his eyes from behind that disgusting hand he wore on his face.

“As fast as the Symbol of Peace…?” Cinder muttered, a brow raised. Now that… that was something useful that she could report back with. It would be far better than the pathetic mess she was staring at now.

“Naturally, you’re upset. But this was not a futile mission,” Cinder raised a brow as the mastermind behind the incident spoke in an effort to calm his subordinate down. “We’ve learned many things. Father the villainous elite. Take all the time you need. I must remain hidden in the shadows, which is why I need you to be my face. A symbol of your own. Tomura Shigaraki. Next time, you will show the world that it should be afraid of you.”

That was all that she needed to hear. Cinder stood as the monitor shut off. Kurogiri dropped next to the broken man on the floor, starting to help him back up now that no one was watching. Her mistress was right. He coddled the boy. Cinder walked past them both.

“There are big plans laid out for you, Tomura,” she said, casting one more glance at the broken man on the floor. “And all we ask for is a little… cooperation.” She swung open the bar’s door. “In the meantime… get well soon. We’ll speak again when you need me. And you will need me.”

She heard a string of very colorful words as she left the bar. Cinder Fall smirked before shutting the door behind her. This was only the beginning of a rather… interesting partnership.

* * *

After all that had happened that day, Ruby was tired. Even more so after being questioned by the police. But still, she wasn’t ready to leave. She had been talking with Ochako and Iida after changing back into their uniforms. The three had made a decision. One that put Ruby in the position she was in now. She told Yang exactly what she wanted to do. When she was done, Yang was quiet.

“You’re going to get a mouthful from Dad,” said Yang after a while, “you know that?” Ruby sighed.

“I know but…” she bit down on her lip, glancing back at the school.

“It’s okay, little sister,” Yang messed with Ruby hair. “I’ll just say that the police wanted to hold you for a little while longer. That’ll do the trick.” Ruby smiled brightly.

“Thanks, Yang!” She gave her sister one last squeeze before departing. While Yang headed down to the station, Ruby went back to the gate. There were Iida and Ochako waiting for her. Though things had finally settled down after the incident and the students no longer needed to be at the school, the three had decided to stay behind. There was one person who had yet to leave, and that was Izuku Midoriya. So, the trio made up their minds to wait for him. To walk to the station with him when he was finally released.

To make sure that he was okay.

Ruby let out a small sigh. Would he still be there even if all those villains weren’t in the USJ? That look Torchwick gave her… what he said to her… Ever since Ruby had time to think about it, the more and more it got to her. Had she put more people than herself in danger because she thought it was a good idea to play vigilante? It didn’t help that the police had dug every bit of information they could get out of her when she told them about her encounter with Torchwick during the attack. That he was the one who brought those villains… that he was aiming for her… and why. And because of all those villains, Mr. Aizawa was in the hospital with such bad injuries…!

“Rose.” Ruby’s head snapped up when Iida called her name. Both of her friends were staring at her. There was a moment of silence before Iida sighed. “I asked if you were alright. You seem preoccupied with something.”

“I was just… thinking,” said Ruby, avoiding touching the subject. It wasn’t technically a lie. “About things.” And neither was that.

“About the USJ?” asked Ochako. Ruby nodded. For the most part, anyway. Her friend sighed. “I still can’t believe that actually happened. We’ve only been here a few days and already we’ve had to fight villains.”

“Normally that doesn’t happen until our second or third year with the hero drafts. And never on school grounds,” said Iida. “The fact that they broke in is concerning, too. I wonder what the teachers are going to do about it.”

“There’s also Mr. Aizawa and Thirteen.” Ochako winced, probably thinking about the extent of their teacher’s injuries. Right… Ochako was at the entrance. She probably saw them. “I don’t think they’re going to be back at school for a while. Especially Mr. Aizawa.” Ruby let out a sigh, leaning up against one of the poles that supported U.A.’s gate.

“After all this, I don’t think they’re going to let us go back to school for a while…” she said. Iida sighed, too.

“It can’t be helped. They need time to investigate the break-in, as well as the villains who attacked us. Huh?” His eyes fell on Ruby. She had gone quiet again and was kicking at the dirt. Her mind was still twisting around whether or not she should say something… about… about _that_. About everything. “Rose.” Ruby sighed.

No, they had every right to know. If something like this was going to happen again… then they had to know. She wasn’t going to hide it any longer. And if they didn’t want to be around her anymore because she was a danger magnet… then okay. She would just have to deal with that.

“There’s something that I need to tell you guys. About the villains at the USJ…” she said before she could change her mind about it. Her friends stared at her. “Do you remember that Torchwick guy from the news a few months ago?” While Ochako’s face screwed up in concentration, Iida responded immediately with a nod.

“He’s an underground criminal mastermind wanted for several robberies and thefts,” he replied. “Allegedly, he controls an entire group of villains himself. At least until today. I heard that the police apprehended him this afternoon.”

“Oh, I heard about him,” said Ochako with a snap of her fingers, “Apparently he tried attacking a middle school student back in February, but the girl fought back until the Pros arrived.”

“Yes, but because it was technically vigilantism, the girl’s name was never released to the public to keep her record clean,” Iida sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “It can’t be helped. Even self-defense can brand one a vigilante, I suppose.”

“Yeah…” Ruby swallowed something down. It was now or never. “That was me.”

“What?!” both of her classmates exclaimed. Ruby sank against the pole, as if she could hide herself behind it or disappear into the shadows like Blake could.

“I tried to stop the guy from robbing this store a few days before the entrance exam. The Pros were never able to catch him, but he was there. At the USJ.” Ruby slunk back further against the gate, not meeting either one of her friend’s gazes. "That’s why he got arrested today, because we stopped him. Well... Bakugo did anyway. If it weren’t for Kirishima and Bakugo, I don't think I would’ve been able to get away from him. He said he was working with the League. That the reason so many people were there was because of him.” Ochako and Iida were quiet for a moment. Ruby bit down harshly on her lip as she waited for one of them to say something… to say _anything_.

“Did you tell the police about this?” Ochako asked after a long while. Ruby nodded.

“Yeah. I made sure that they knew. But…” She sighed again, kicking at a pebble that had come loose from the walkway. “I can’t stop thinking about it.” There was a moment of silence as the weight of everything settled in.

“What does this mean?” asked Iida, speaking the girl’s one recurring thought out loud. All Ruby could think to do was shrug.

“I don’t know, but I felt like I should tell you guys.” She looked up at them. “You’re my friends. I don’t want to hide this. Especially if it comes back to bite me in the butt.” Another silence pause fell again.

“If it comes back to bite you in the butt, then we’ll be there to keep it from happening!” said Ochako after a second, flexing her arm.

“You can count on us,” Iida added. “I feel that if you tell Midoriya about this, his answer will be the same as ours.” Ruby’s smile returned, a small amount of tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. She hastily wiped them away before they had the chance to fall.

“Thanks guys…!”

“It’s like you said,” Ochako told her with a reassuring grin. She took Ruby’s hands into her own. “We’re friends. And that’s what friends are for!”

Friends… That’s right. They were friends. When did Ruby get so lucky? Only four days at U.A., she already had good friends… She never thought that this would happen and definitely not so quickly. In the silence of the evening, all three students waiting at the gate were able to hear the door of the main U.A. building open. Out came a familiar looking boy with unruly green hair.

“Deku!” Ochako called out as the boy began to descend the stairs.

“Midoriya!” both Ruby and Iida shouted alongside her. Midoriya’s eyes widened and he picked up his pace. He ran towards his friends, clearly out of breath once he finally caught up to them. His legs were working just fine, but Ruby could make out the bandages around one of his fingers and his thumb in the dim light.

“Did you guys wait out here for me?” Midoriya asked. Ruby nodded.

“Of course,” she said. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“We’re your friends, Deku,” added Ochako. “We wanted to make sure that you were okay.” Midoriya’s eyes welled up instantly. He blinked, sending the tears spilling down his face.

“Midoriya, are you okay?” asked Iida. Midoriya quickly nodded.

“Yeah. I’m fine…” The boy wiped away the tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked up at his friends. There was a wide and bright smile on his face. “Just… thanks, guys. For everything.”

Ruby smiled back. This was just the beginning. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship… strong bonds… sacrifices… immense powers… mysteries and secrets… villains and heroes… losses and victories… love, happiness… and reaching their dreams.

It was the start of the story of how they became the world’s greatest heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They see you as small and helpless  
> They see you as just a child  
> Surprised when they find out that  
> If you should run away  
> There's no where to go because  
> The Day Has Come!
> 
> And that is a wrap on Volume 1! Again, thanks so much to everyone that stuck by me through this. You're support is immensely appreciated! Keep an eye out for Volume 2 if you're still in this with me.
> 
> We got the Sports Festival, Internships and the final exams to look forward to! I promise some good content and interactions (the best that I can provide, at least) as well as some surprises. Probably not a whole lot until the end.
> 
> See you guys then!


End file.
